Di seguito sono elencate le aree urbane del mondo classificate per popolazione.
Area urbana: è definita come un'area urbana continua o una combinazione di aree urbane che statisticamente può essere considerata un unico mercato del lavoro.
Un elenco alternativo potrebbe adottare una definizione diversa di "città" e classificare le città propriamente dette, ovvero le città con uno status urbano riconosciuto amministrativamente. Tuttavia, queste potrebbero estendersi oltre l'area metropolitana e includere aree rurali.
| Posizione | Area urbana | Stima della popolazione (2015) | Paese | Superficie terrestre (Km²) | Densità (Ab/Km²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo-Yokohama | 37,843,000 | Giappone | 8,547 | 4,400 |
| 2 | Jakarta | 30,539,000 | Indonesia | 3,225 | 9,500 |
| 3 | Delhi, DL-UP-HR | 24,998,000 | India | 2,072 | 12,100 |
| 4 | Manila | 24,123,000 | Filippine | 1,580 | 15,300 |
| 5 | Seoul-Incheon | 23,480,000 | Corea del Sud | 2,266 | 10,400 |
| 6 | Shanghai, SHG-JS-ZJ | 23,416,000 | Cina | 3,820 | 6,100 |
| 7 | Karachi | 22,123,000 | Pakistan | 945 | 23,400 |
| 8 | Beijing, BJ | 21,009,000 | Cina | 3,820 | 5,500 |
| 9 | New York, NY-NJ-CT | 20,630,000 | Stati Uniti | 11,642 | 1,800 |
| 10 | Guangzhou-Foshan, GD | 20,597,000 | Cina | 3,432 | 6,000 |
| 11 | Sao Paulo | 20,365,000 | Brasile | 2,707 | 7,500 |
| 12 | Mexico City | 20,063,000 | Messico | 2,072 | 9,700 |
| 13 | Mumbai, MH | 17,712,000 | India | 546 | 32,400 |
| 14 | Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto | 17,444,000 | Giappone | 3,212 | 5,400 |
| 15 | Moscow | 16,170,000 | Russia | 4,662 | 3,500 |
| 16 | Dhaka | 15,669,000 | Bangladesh | 360 | 43,500 |
| 17 | Cairo | 15,600,000 | Egitto | 1,761 | 8,900 |
| 18 | Los Angeles, CA | 15,058,000 | Stati Uniti | 6,299 | 2,400 |
| 19 | Bangkok | 14,998,000 | Thailandia | 2,590 | 5,800 |
| 20 | Kolkata, WB | 14,667,000 | India | 1,204 | 12,200 |
| 21 | Buenos Aires | 14,122,000 | Argentina | 2,681 | 5,300 |
| 22 | Tehran | 13,532,000 | Iran | 1,489 | 9,100 |
| 23 | Istanbul | 13,287,000 | Turchia | 1,360 | 9,800 |
| 24 | Lagos | 13,123,000 | Nigeria | 907 | 14,500 |
| 25 | Shenzhen, GD | 12,084,000 | Cina | 1,748 | 6,900 |
| 26 | Rio de Janeiro | 11,727,000 | Brasile | 2,020 | 5,800 |
| 27 | Kinshasa | 11,587,000 | RD del Congo | 583 | 19,900 |
| 28 | Tianjin, TJ | 10,920,000 | Cina | 2,007 | 5,400 |
| 29 | Paris | 10,858,000 | Francia | 2,845 | 3,800 |
| 30 | Lima | 10,750,000 | Perù | 919 | 11,700 |
| 31 | Chengdu, SC | 10,376,000 | Cina | 1,541 | 6,700 |
| 32 | London | 10,236,000 | Regno Unito | 1,738 | 5,900 |
| 33 | Nagoya | 10,177,000 | Giappone | 3,885 | 2,600 |
| 34 | Lahore | 10,052,000 | Pakistan | 790 | 12,700 |
| 35 | Bangalore, KA | 9,807,000 | India | 1,166 | 8,400 |
| 36 | Chennai, TN | 9,714,000 | India | 971 | 10,000 |
| 37 | Chicago, IL-IN-WI | 9,156,000 | Stati Uniti | 6,856 | 1,300 |
| 38 | Bogota | 8,991,000 | Colombia | 492 | 18,300 |
| 39 | Ho Chi Minh City | 8,957,000 | Vietnam | 1,489 | 6,000 |
| 40 | Hyderabad, AP | 8,754,000 | India | 1,230 | 7,100 |
| 41 | Dongguan, GD | 8,442,000 | Cina | 1,619 | 5,200 |
| 42 | Johannesburg-East Rand | 8,432,000 | Sudafrica | 2,590 | 3,300 |
| 43 | Wuhan, HUB | 7,509,000 | Cina | 1,166 | 6,400 |
| 44 | Taipei | 7,438,000 | Taiwan | 1,140 | 6,500 |
| 45 | Hangzhou, ZJ | 7,275,000 | Cina | 1,217 | 6,000 |
| 46 | Hong Kong | 7,246,000 | Hong Kong | 275 | 26,400 |
| 47 | Chongqing, CQ | 7,217,000 | Cina | 932 | 7,700 |
| 48 | Ahmadabad, GJ | 7,186,000 | India | 350 | 20,600 |
| 49 | Kuala Lumpur | 7,088,000 | Malaysia | 1,943 | 3,600 |
| 50 | Quanzhou, FJ | 6,710,000 | Cina | 1,528 | 4,400 |
| 51 | Essen-Dusseldorf | 6,679,000 | Germania | 2,655 | 2,500 |
| 52 | Baghdad | 6,625,000 | Iraq | 673 | 9,800 |
| 53 | Toronto, ON | 6,456,000 | Canada | 2,287 | 2,800 |
| 54 | Santiago | 6,225,000 | Cile | 984 | 6,300 |
| 55 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | 6,174,000 | Stati Uniti | 5,175 | 1,200 |
| 56 | Madrid | 6,171,000 | Spagna | 1,321 | 4,700 |
| 57 | Nanjing, JS | 6,155,000 | Cina | 1,269 | 4,800 |
| 58 | Shenyang, LN | 6,078,000 | Cina | 1,010 | 6,000 |
| 59 | Xi'an, SAA | 5,977,000 | Cina | 932 | 6,400 |
| 60 | San Francisco-San Jose, CA | 5,929,000 | Stati Uniti | 2,797 | 2,100 |
| 61 | Luanda | 5,899,000 | Angola | 894 | 6,600 |
| 62 | Qingdao, SD | 5,816,000 | Cina | 1,489 | 3,900 |
| 63 | Houston, TX | 5,764,000 | Stati Uniti | 4,644 | 1,200 |
| 64 | Miami, FL | 5,764,000 | Stati Uniti | 3,209 | 1,800 |
| 65 | Bandung | 5,695,000 | Indonesia | 466 | 12,200 |
| 66 | Riyadh | 5,666,000 | Arabia Saudita | 1,502 | 3,800 |
| 67 | Pune, MH | 5,631,000 | India | 479 | 11,800 |
| 68 | Singapore | 5,624,000 | Singapore | 518 | 10,900 |
| 69 | Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 5,570,000 | Stati Uniti | 5,131 | 1,100 |
| 70 | Surat, GJ | 5,447,000 | India | 233 | 23,400 |
| 71 | Milan | 5,257,000 | Italia | 1,891 | 2,800 |
| 72 | Suzhou, JS | 5,246,000 | Cina | 1,127 | 4,700 |
| 73 | St. Petersburg | 5,126,000 | Russia | 1,347 | 3,800 |
| 74 | Khartoum | 5,125,000 | Sudan | 932 | 5,500 |
| 75 | Atlanta, GA | 5,015,000 | Stati Uniti | 6,851 | 700 |
| 76 | Zhengzhou, HEN | 4,942,000 | Cina | 829 | 6,000 |
| 77 | Washington, DC-VA-MD | 4,889,000 | Stati Uniti | 3,424 | 1,400 |
| 78 | Surabaya | 4,881,000 | Indonesia | 673 | 7,200 |
| 79 | Harbin, HL | 4,815,000 | Cina | 570 | 8,500 |
| 80 | Abidjan | 4,800,000 | Costa d'Avorio | 324 | 14,800 |
| 81 | Yangon | 4,800,000 | Myanmar | 544 | 8,800 |
| 82 | Nairobi | 4,738,000 | Kenya | 557 | 8,500 |
| 83 | Barcelona | 4,693,000 | Spagna | 1,075 | 4,400 |
| 84 | Alexandria | 4,689,000 | Egitto | 293 | 16,000 |
| 85 | Kabul | 4,635,000 | Afghanistan | 259 | 17,900 |
| 86 | Guadalajara | 4,603,000 | Messico | 751 | 6,100 |
| 87 | Ankara | 4,538,000 | Turchia | 660 | 6,900 |
| 88 | Belo Horizonte | 4,517,000 | Brasile | 1,088 | 4,200 |
| 89 | Boston, MA-NH-RI | 4,478,000 | Stati Uniti | 5,325 | 800 |
| 90 | Xiamen, FJ | 4,420,000 | Cina | 583 | 7,600 |
| 91 | Kuwait | 4,283,000 | Kuwait | 712 | 6,000 |
| 92 | Dar es Salaam | 4,219,000 | Tanzania | 570 | 7,400 |
| 93 | Phoenix, AZ | 4,194,000 | Stati Uniti | 3,196 | 1,300 |
| 94 | Dalian, LN | 4,183,000 | Cina | 777 | 5,400 |
| 95 | Accra | 4,145,000 | Ghana | 971 | 4,300 |
| 96 | Monterrey | 4,083,000 | Messico | 894 | 4,600 |
| 97 | Berlin | 4,069,000 | Germania | 1,347 | 3,000 |
| 98 | Sydney | 4,036,000 | Australia | 2,037 | 2,000 |
| 99 | Fuzhou | 3,962,000 | Cina | 440 | 9,000 |
| 100 | Medan | 3,942,000 | Indonesia | 479 | 8,200 |
| 101 | Dubai | 3,933,000 | Emirati Arabi Uniti | 1,347 | 2,900 |
| 102 | Melbourne | 3,906,000 | Australia | 2,543 | 1,500 |
| 103 | Rome | 3,906,000 | Italia | 1,114 | 3,500 |
| 104 | Busan | 3,906,000 | Corea del Sud | 401 | 9,700 |
| 105 | Cape Town | 3,812,000 | Sudafrica | 816 | 4,700 |
| 106 | Jinan | 3,789,000 | Cina | 725 | 5,200 |
| 107 | Ningbo | 3,753,000 | Cina | 738 | 5,100 |
| 108 | Hanoi | 3,715,000 | Vietnam | 466 | 8,000 |
| 109 | Naples | 3,706,000 | Italia | 1,023 | 3,600 |
| 110 | Taiyuan | 3,702,000 | Cina | 518 | 7,100 |
| 111 | Jeddah | 3,677,000 | Arabia Saudita | 842 | 4,400 |
| 112 | Detroit | 3,672,000 | Stati Uniti | 3,463 | 1,100 |
| 113 | Hefei | 3,665,000 | Cina | 725 | 5,100 |
| 114 | Changsha | 3,657,000 | Cina | 622 | 5,900 |
| 115 | Kunming | 3,649,000 | Cina | 712 | 5,100 |
| 116 | Wuxi | 3,597,000 | Cina | 738 | 4,900 |
| 117 | Medellín | 3,568,000 | Colombia | 228 | 15,700 |
| 118 | Faisalabad | 3,560,000 | Pakistan | 181 | 19,600 |
| 119 | Aleppo | 3,560,000 | Siria | 259 | 13,700 |
| 120 | Kano | 3,550,000 | Nigeria | 251 | 14,100 |
| 121 | Montréal | 3,536,000 | Canada | 1,546 | 2,300 |
| 122 | Dakar | 3,520,000 | Senegal | 194 | 18,100 |
| 123 | Athens | 3,484,000 | Grecia | 583 | 6,000 |
Fonte: Demographia World Urban Areas: 11th Annual Edition: 2015.01 (Aree urbane edificate o Agglomerati mondiali)