UN applies new criteria: Jakarta surpasses Tokyo as the world’s most populated city

Jakarta, facing issues of overcrowding and prone to floods, has surpassed Tokyo as the world’s most populous city with nearly 42 million inhabitants, according to a UN study using new criteria to provide a more accurate picture of rapid urbanization in megacities.
Located on the northwest coast of Java island, the Indonesian capital is followed by Dhaka, with 37 million inhabitants. Tokyo, which was the most populous city in the 2018 report with 37 million residents, now ranks third with 33 million people, according to the latest estimates released this month by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
According to projections, the capital of Bangladesh will lead the list by mid-century, while the Japanese megacity will drop to seventh place by 2050.
Why the change?
The shift is due to a new methodology that updates estimates based on national statistics, utilizing a unified model to categorize cities, including neighboring areas, the report points out.
Jakarta, whose metropolitan area stretches across several populations, was ranked 33rd with about 11 million inhabitants in the 2018 list.
Based on the new criteria, the Indonesian city surpassed the Japanese one around 2010.
The significant jump of the Indonesian capital is attributed to massive migration and ambitious infrastructure projects that have allowed informal settlements to grow, connecting the capital with adjacent localities.
This overcrowding has made Jakarta one of the cities with the worst traffic jams in the world, while facing significant pollution and waste management challenges. Additionally, some neighborhoods are sinking and many are below sea level, resulting in frequent flooding.
The previous Indonesian government initiated the construction of Nusantara in 2022 on the island of Borneo to replace Jakarta as the capital; however, delays and lack of support from the current administration raise questions about the plans.
According to the new list, nine out of the ten most populous cities (Jakarta, Dhaka, Tokyo, New Delhi, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Manila, Kolkata, and Seoul) are in Asia, with Cairo in seventh place as the only city outside Asia in the top 10. Among the cities no longer at the top of the ranking, in contrast to the 2018 list, are Sao Paulo and Mexico City.