Bengaluru among world’s most densely populated cities: UN report

UN report: Bengaluru among world’s top 10 most crowded cities; India leads with 5 megacities, 12 dense cities, highlighting urban growth challenges

A new United Nations report highlights the rapid pace of global urbanization, noting that cities now accommodate 45% of the world’s 8.2 billion people. Bengaluru has emerged among the ten most densely populated cities worldwide, underscoring India’s growing urban challenges.

India is home to five of the 33 global megacities — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Bengaluru — surpassing China, which has four. Out of the 50 most densely populated cities globally, 12 are in India. Mumbai tops the list with nearly 30,000 residents per square kilometer, while Surat, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru, each exceeding 20,000 residents per square kilometer, also rank in the top ten.

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Globally, Jakarta leads as the most populous city with nearly 42 million residents, followed by Dhaka with 37 million and Tokyo with 33 million. India’s New Delhi, with 30 million people, and Kolkata, with 22 million, also feature in the top ten. Cairo is the only non‑Asian city in this group.

The report, released alongside the UN climate summit in Brazil (COP30), emphasizes the need for integrated national policies covering housing, mobility, land use, and public services to manage urban growth sustainably. Between 2025 and 2050, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are projected to add over 500 million new city residents, accounting for more than half of global urban expansion.

While India’s urban population continues to grow — currently at 589 million — more than a quarter of its cities saw population declines between 2015 and 2025, reflecting migration trends and demographic shifts

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