Overview
- Jakarta now tops global urban rankings at about 42 million residents following updated UN methodology that reshapes comparisons with entire countries.
- UN DESA links the city’s accelerated ground loss to excessive groundwater extraction, heavy urban loading and natural sediment compaction, with measured drops of several decimeters per year.
- Limited access to piped water pushes households and businesses to pump aquifers, creating a self‑reinforcing cycle that worsens subsidence risk for millions.
- Coastal flooding is intensifying as sea levels rise and extreme rains hit the low‑lying metropolis, increasing damage to infrastructure and daily life.
- Authorities are advancing coastal defenses including a planned Giant Sea Wall, river restoration, transit expansion and a partial move of government functions to Nusantara, though these measures will not quickly ease current dangers.