Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is now the biggest city in the world, according to a new United Nations report.
It has nearly 42 million people living in its wider urban area, which means it has overtaken Tokyo, the previous number one. Tokyo now has around 33 million people, while Dhaka in Bangladesh has also grown fast, reaching nearly 37 million.
The report explains that slower population growth in Japan and rapid urban growth in other parts of Asia have changed the rankings. Dhaka is expected to become the world’s largest city by 2050, while Tokyo’s population may keep shrinking.
Nine out of the ten largest cities on Earth are now in Asia. Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is the only one outside Asia in the top ten. Experts in Jakarta say the city has already had more people than Tokyo for several years, but now it’s officially recognised.
Jakarta faces many problems because of its size. There are traffic jams, pollution, and frequent flooding. To help with this, Indonesia is building a new capital city called Nusantara on the island of Borneo. However, the project is delayed and hasn’t yet gained much investment.
The UN also shared that cities are growing quickly. In 1950, only one in five people lived in cities. Now, nearly half the world’s population does. The number of megacities—those with over 10 million people—has jumped from 8 in 1975 to 33 today.
More cities are expected to grow into megacities by 2050, including Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, and Hajipur in India. UN leaders believe if cities are planned well, urban growth can help countries improve the environment and people’s lives.
