According to United Nations (UN) estimates, the global urban population will increase by almost one billion to 5.2 billion people by 2030. At mid-year 2021, an estimated 4.5 of the world’s 7.9 billion people lived in cities. This represented 57% of the world’s population. In 2030, this share will be 60 %.
There are currently 34 megacities worldwide, each with more than 10 million inhabitants. Most of them are located in Asia (21), Latin America (6) and Africa (3). The world’s largest city is currently the Tokyo metropolitan area, which is home to 37 million people. It is followed by Delhi with a population of 31 million and Shanghai with 28 million. By comparison, Berlin, Germany’s largest city, has a population of around 3.6 million.
The United Nations expects the global number of megacities to rise to 43 by 2030. Delhi is expected to be the world’s largest city by then, with a population of almost 39 million.