Jakarta Tops UN List as World's Largest Metropolis

Overview

• UN figures put Dhaka second with 36.6 million and Tokyo third with 33.4 million, followed by New Delhi and Shanghai.
• UN DESA counts 33 megacities in 2025, up from eight in 1975, with most located in Asia.
• Jakarta faces severe land subsidence and flooding, with experts warning much of the north could be underwater by 2050.
• Indonesia plans a US$40 billion coastal seawall with partial completion targeted for 2030 and full closure by 2050.
• The government is also relocating the national capital to Nusantara by 2045 at an estimated US$35 billion, a project drawing environmental and social criticism.