Statizoid

Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents by country

Total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.

Countries reporting
177
Highest
280.94 million people
China
Lowest
0 people
Reunion
Median
1.93 million people
Years covered
71
1950–2020
Data points
2,532

What the numbers show

Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents is currently reported for 177 countries. The highest value is 280.94 million people in China; the lowest is 0 people in Reunion.

The median across all reporting countries is 1.93 million people, and the mean is 9.84 million people.

Over the past decade 104 countries rose and 11 fell. The largest increase was in Somalia (up 213.2%), and the largest decrease in Paraguay (down 25.8%).

Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 China 280.94 million people 2020 up 22.6% volatile
2 India 265.71 million people 2020 up 25.2% volatile
3 Indonesia 89.18 million people 2020 up 18.3% volatile
4 United States 69.30 million people 2020 up 28.1% rising
5 Japan 64.56 million people 2020 up 3.0% rising
6 Brazil 64.18 million people 2020 up 17.5% volatile
7 Pakistan 58.92 million people 2020 up 32.0% volatile
8 Bangladesh 45.99 million people 2020 up 33.7% volatile
9 Nigeria 43.76 million people 2020 up 61.2% volatile
10 Egypt 42.42 million people 2020 up 54.7% volatile
11 Mexico 34.17 million people 2020 up 3.0% volatile
12 South Korea 30.90 million people 2020 up 6.0% volatile
13 Philippines 29.67 million people 2020 up 20.9% volatile
14 Turkey 26.91 million people 2020 up 26.2% volatile
15 Russia 24.98 million people 2020 up 5.5% rising
16 Iran 22.00 million people 2020 up 11.3% volatile
17 Vietnam 21.58 million people 2020 up 58.9% volatile
18 Democratic Republic of Congo 19.22 million people 2020 up 64.1% volatile
19 Colombia 17.92 million people 2020 up 17.9% volatile
20 South Africa 17.85 million people 2020 up 51.4% volatile
21 Argentina 17.55 million people 2020 up 11.7% rising
22 United Kingdom 17.28 million people 2020 up 20.2% flat
23 Thailand 17.25 million people 2020 up 32.8% volatile
24 Saudi Arabia 15.00 million people 2020 up 51.7% volatile
25 Taiwan 14.82 million people 2020 up 5.1% volatile
26 Iraq 13.05 million people 2020 up 60.0% volatile
27 Germany 10.87 million people 2020 up 20.9% rising
28 Angola 10.81 million people 2020 up 204.9% volatile
29 Spain 10.73 million people 2020 up 16.9% rising
30 Canada 10.54 million people 2020 up 24.0% volatile
31 France 10.51 million people 2020 up 3.7% rising
32 Ghana 10.25 million people 2020 up 61.7% volatile
33 Peru 10.04 million people 2020 up 17.6% volatile
34 Malaysia 9.47 million people 2020 up 36.9% volatile
35 Italy 8.95 million people 2020 up 2.2% rising
36 Morocco 8.72 million people 2020 up 32.0% volatile
37 Cameroon 8.11 million people 2020 up 61.8% volatile
38 Australia 7.59 million people 2020 up 22.5% rising
39 Kenya 6.97 million people 2020 up 45.7% volatile
40 Myanmar 6.97 million people 2020 up 14.5% volatile
41 Tanzania 6.85 million people 2020 up 81.4% volatile
42 Chile 6.57 million people 2020 up 9.5% rising
43 Sudan 6.43 million people 2020 up 22.2% volatile
44 Afghanistan 6.41 million people 2020 up 70.2% volatile
45 Jordan 6.16 million people 2020 up 65.1% volatile
46 Venezuela 6.09 million people 2020 down 6.3% volatile
47 Cote d'Ivoire 6.06 million people 2020 up 34.7% volatile
48 Ethiopia 5.91 million people 2020 up 60.1% volatile
49 Hong Kong 5.88 million people 2020 up 5.1% rising
50 Syria 5.87 million people 2020 down 17.5% volatile
51 Ecuador 5.47 million people 2020 up 19.2% volatile
52 Somalia 5.26 million people 2020 up 213.2% volatile
53 Yemen 5.12 million people 2020 up 46.2% volatile
54 Bolivia 5.02 million people 2020 up 61.0% volatile
55 Sri Lanka 4.96 million people 2020 up 15.9% rising
56 Singapore 4.76 million people 2020 up 8.6% volatile
57 Congo 4.76 million people 2020 up 142.6% volatile
58 Senegal 4.59 million people 2020 up 65.0% volatile
59 United Arab Emirates 4.42 million people 2020 up 90.8% volatile
60 Dominican Republic 4.41 million people 2020 up 22.9% volatile
61 Ukraine 4.36 million people 2020 up 2.7% rising
62 Kazakhstan 4.31 million people 2020 up 174.9% volatile
63 Uganda 4.23 million people 2020 up 50.1% volatile
64 Algeria 4.23 million people 2020 up 57.0% volatile
65 Burkina Faso 3.98 million people 2020 up 116.2% volatile
66 Kuwait 3.70 million people 2020 up 53.0% volatile
67 Mali 3.65 million people 2020 up 54.5% volatile
68 Uzbekistan 3.65 million people 2020 up 15.3% rising
69 Madagascar 3.52 million people 2020 up 86.8% volatile
70 Greece 3.27 million people 2020 down 3.4% rising
71 Nepal 3.08 million people 2020 up 33.8% volatile
72 Zambia 2.99 million people 2020 up 60.8% volatile
73 Mozambique 2.93 million people 2020 up 43.6% volatile
74 North Korea 2.87 million people 2020 up 3.1% volatile
75 Honduras 2.76 million people 2020 up 163.4% volatile
76 Guatemala 2.74 million people 2020 up 5.6% volatile
77 Guinea 2.55 million people 2020 up 34.3% volatile
78 Israel 2.47 million people 2020 up 23.3% volatile
79 Tunisia 2.42 million people 2020 up 27.0% volatile
80 Benin 2.27 million people 2020 up 50.5% volatile
81 Togo 2.25 million people 2020 up 28.7% volatile
82 Cambodia 2.22 million people 2020 up 41.1% volatile
83 Macao 2.11 million people 2020 up 22.9% volatile
84 Costa Rica 2.10 million people 2020 up 15.6% volatile
85 Qatar 1.98 million people 2020 up 79.5% volatile
86 Austria 1.98 million people 2020 up 15.3% rising
87 Belarus 1.98 million people 2020 up 10.5% volatile
88 Azerbaijan 1.93 million people 2020 up 6.5% volatile
89 Romania 1.93 million people 2020 down 1.6% rising
90 Zimbabwe 1.88 million people 2020 down 3.8% volatile
91 Portugal 1.86 million people 2020 up 6.9% rising
92 Poland 1.86 million people 2020 up 7.2% rising
93 Haiti 1.85 million people 2020 down 7.2% volatile
94 Sierra Leone 1.77 million people 2020 up 54.2% volatile
95 Liberia 1.77 million people 2020 up 42.6% volatile
96 Lebanon 1.74 million people 2020 up 2.9% volatile
97 Chad 1.65 million people 2020 up 40.2% volatile
98 Hungary 1.63 million people 2020 up 2.4% falling
99 Cuba 1.62 million people 2020 down 3.1% rising
100 El Salvador 1.60 million people 2020 down 1.5% volatile
101 Mongolia 1.46 million people 2020 — volatile
102 Sweden 1.44 million people 2020 up 24.3% volatile
103 Panama 1.40 million people 2020 up 30.1% volatile
104 Belgium 1.38 million people 2020 up 9.0% volatile
105 Mauritania 1.36 million people 2020 — volatile
106 Bahrain 1.33 million people 2020 up 22.4% volatile
107 Niger 1.33 million people 2020 up 31.4% volatile
108 Rwanda 1.32 million people 2020 — volatile
109 Paraguay 1.31 million people 2020 down 25.8% volatile
110 Tajikistan 1.31 million people 2020 — volatile
111 Nicaragua 1.28 million people 2020 up 13.8% volatile
112 Kyrgyzstan 1.25 million people 2020 — volatile
113 Uruguay 1.24 million people 2020 down 3.1% rising
114 Denmark 1.20 million people 2020 up 14.9% volatile
115 Czechia 1.18 million people 2020 up 5.8% volatile
116 Libya 1.17 million people 2020 up 12.0% volatile
117 Netherlands 1.14 million people 2020 up 11.4% volatile
118 Burundi 1.14 million people 2020 — volatile
119 Serbia 1.14 million people 2020 up 6.0% volatile
120 Turkmenistan 1.09 million people 2020 — volatile
121 New Zealand 1.09 million people 2020 — volatile
123 Bulgaria 1.08 million people 2020 up 7.6% volatile
124 Gambia 1.07 million people 2020 — volatile
125 Armenia 1.06 million people 2020 down 3.6% volatile
126 Central African Republic 1.02 million people 2020 — volatile
127 Albania 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Bahamas 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Barbados 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Bhutan 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Botswana 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Switzerland 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Comoros 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Cape Verde 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Cyprus 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Djibouti 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Eritrea 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Estonia 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Finland 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Fiji 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Gabon 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Georgia 0 people 2020 — volatile
127 Gibraltar 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Guinea-Bissau 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Equatorial Guinea 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Guyana 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Croatia 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Iceland 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Jamaica 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Laos 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Lesotho 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Lithuania 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Latvia 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Moldova 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Maldives 0 people 2020 — flat
127 North Macedonia 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Montenegro 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Mauritius 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Malawi 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Namibia 0 people 2020 — flat
127 New Caledonia 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Norway 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Oman 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Papua New Guinea 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Puerto Rico 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Palestine 0 people 2020 — flat
127 French Polynesia 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Solomon Islands 0 people 2020 — flat
127 South Sudan 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Sao Tome and Principe 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Suriname 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Slovakia 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Slovenia 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Eswatini 0 people 2015 — flat
127 East Timor 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Trinidad and Tobago 0 people 2020 — flat
127 Reunion 0 people 2020 — flat

About this data

Indicator
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Unit
people
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
182 places, 2,532 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.