Population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Population in cities over 1 million — World

Population in cities over 1 million in the world in 2025 — 2,014,734,417 people. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 384.3%.

2025 2.01B people +1.78% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 2.01B people2025
Period minimum 416M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Population in cities over 1 million — World, 1960–202501B2B3B19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 415,992,845 people1962: 442,414,251 people1964: 470,142,262 people1966: 499,463,411 people1968: 529,191,446 people1970: 561,102,562 people1972: 591,402,842 people1974: 623,317,829 people1976: 654,161,632 people1978: 687,868,834 people1980: 723,921,311 people1982: 758,271,618 people1984: 795,178,486 people1986: 835,211,353 people1988: 878,668,731 people1990: 924,834,684 people1992: 973,113,640 people1994: 1,022,958,256 people1996: 1,077,705,804 people1998: 1,136,504,217 people2000: 1,201,722,230 people2002: 1,256,460,409 people2004: 1,311,201,856 people2006: 1,368,957,662 people2008: 1,430,670,402 people2010: 1,496,890,551 people2012: 1,559,190,695 people2014: 1,624,467,985 people2016: 1,695,041,240 people2018: 1,768,075,765 people2020: 1,837,453,205 people2022: 1,908,525,337 people2024: 1,979,593,563 people2025: 2,014,734,417 people
Change over the period: +1.6B (+384.32%) Average annual rate: 2.46 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: World

World 2.01B people
World computed 2.01B people
Population in cities over 1 million — World, by year World All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 2.01B +35.14M +1.78%
2024 1.98B +35.44M +1.82%
2023 1.94B +35.62M +1.87%
2022 1.91B +35.64M +1.9%
2021 1.87B +35.44M +1.93%
2020 1.84B +35.01M +1.94%
2019 1.8B +34.37M +1.94%
2018 1.77B +37.03M +2.14%
2017 1.73B +36.01M +2.12%
2016 1.7B +35.77M +2.16%
2015 1.66B +34.81M +2.14%
2014 1.62B +33.21M +2.09%
2013 1.59B +32.07M +2.06%
2012 1.56B +31.13M +2.04%
2011 1.53B +31.17M +2.08%
2010 1.5B +33.31M +2.28%
2009 1.46B +32.91M +2.3%
2008 1.43B +31.85M +2.28%
2007 1.4B +29.87M +2.18%
2006 1.37B +29.32M +2.19%
2005 1.34B +28.43M +2.17%
2004 1.31B +27.68M +2.16%
2003 1.28B +27.07M +2.15%
2002 1.26B +26.37M +2.14%
2001 1.23B +28.37M +2.36%
2000 1.2B +33.53M +2.87%
1999 1.17B +31.69M +2.79%
1998 1.14B +30.11M +2.72%
1997 1.11B +28.69M +2.66%
1996 1.08B +28.1M +2.68%
1995 1.05B +26.65M +2.61%
1994 1.02B +25.44M +2.55%
1993 998M +24.41M +2.51%
1992 973M +23.77M +2.5%
1991 949M +24.51M +2.65%
1990 925M +23.47M +2.6%
1989 901M +22.69M +2.58%
1988 879M +21.98M +2.57%
1987 857M +21.48M +2.57%
1986 835M +20.52M +2.52%
1985 815M +19.52M +2.45%
1984 795M +18.77M +2.42%
1983 776M +18.13M +2.39%
1982 758M +17M +2.29%
1981 741M +17.35M +2.4%
1980 724M +18.29M +2.59%
1979 706M +17.76M +2.58%
1978 688M +17.21M +2.57%
1977 671M +16.5M +2.52%
1976 654M +16.11M +2.52%
1975 638M +14.74M +2.36%
1974 623M +16.22M +2.67%
1973 607M +15.69M +2.65%
1972 591M +15.19M +2.64%
1971 576M +15.11M +2.69%
1970 561M +16.1M +2.95%
1969 545M +15.81M +2.99%
1968 529M +15.2M +2.96%
1967 514M +14.53M +2.91%
1966 499M +14.41M +2.97%
1965 485M +14.91M +3.17%
1964 470M +14.22M +3.12%
1963 456M +13.51M +3.05%
1962 442M +13.09M +3.05%
1961 429M +13.33M +3.2%
1960 416M

About the indicator

The population of urban agglomerations with more than one million residents. The unit of count is the agglomeration, not the city within its administrative boundaries, and that is essential: along administrative lines many of the largest concentrations of people break up into dozens of municipalities. The indicator measures not urbanization as such but its concentration in large centers — a country can be highly urbanized without a single million-plus city.

Important: The table covers about 120 territories — the rest have no agglomerations of this size, and that is a zero, not a gap. Aggregates for groups of countries are therefore calculated at a lowered coverage threshold.

Source: World Population Prospects (UN), license CC BY 3.0 IGO.