A running record of the most populous urban regions on Earth, ranked by metropolitan-area population.
Greater Tokyo remains the largest metropolitan area in the world by a wide margin, spanning the capital and its surrounding prefectures.
The National Capital Region has grown rapidly over the past two decades and is projected to overtake Tokyo within years.
China's largest city by population, and a major financial and shipping hub on the Yangtze River delta.
One of the fastest-growing urban areas in the world, with density levels among the highest of any major city.
The largest metropolitan area in the Southern Hemisphere and the economic center of South America.
Built on the site of the former Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, now one of the largest urban agglomerations in the Americas.
The largest city in the Arab world, straddling the Nile and expanding steadily into the surrounding desert.
India's financial capital, built across a cluster of islands and known for having one of the highest population densities in the world.
China's capital and political center, combining a historic core with rapidly expanding outer districts.
The core of Japan's second-largest metropolitan area, historically the country's commercial capital.