Economic contraction and natural disasters have also contributed to population losses in some cities. Most of these are located in the low-fertility countries of Asia and Europe where overall population sizes are stagnant or declining.

Population decline in some cities and in rural areas Some cities have experienced population decline in recent years. In contrast, Africa remains mostly rural, with 43% of its population living in urban areas. The level of urbanization in Asia is now approximating 50%. Today, the most urbanized regions include Northern America (with 82% of its population living in urban areas in 2018), Latin America and the Caribbean (81%), Europe (74%) and Oceania (68%). Asia, despite its relatively lower level of urbanization, is home to 54% of the world’s urban population, followed by Europe and Africa with 13% each. The urban population of the world has grown rapidly from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018. By 2050, it is projected that India will have added 416 million urban dwellers, China 255 million and Nigeria 189 million. Together, India, China and Nigeria will account for 35% of the projected growth of the world’s urban population between 20. The 2018 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects produced by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) notes that future increases in the size of the world’s urban population are expected to be highly concentrated in just a few countries. Projections show that urbanization, the gradual shift in residence of the human population from rural to urban areas, combined with the overall growth of the world’s population could add another 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050, with close to 90% of this increase taking place in Asia and Africa, according to a new United Nations data set launched today. To view a more accurate and up-to-date list, visit the Largest Cities page on Wikipedia.Today, 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050. If you have any questions about this list of the largest cities in the world by total population, please leave a comment below. Napoli, Italy – 3,012,000 Questions and Comments Please note that the population numbers and ranks are not current for 11 through 100. List of Top 10 Cities in the World, Ranked by Population Rank Please note the population numbers are as of 2018.

Global cities ranked by population