INDOPOSCO.ID – Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is now recognized as the world’s most populous city, with nearly 42 million residents, according to the latest United Nations (UN) report released Sunday (Nov. 23, 2025).
Global urbanization continues at a rapid pace. Currently, approximately 45 percent of the world’s 8.2 billion people live in urban areas, according to the World Urbanization Prospects 2025 published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Since 1950, when only 20 percent of the world’s 2.5 billion people lived in cities, the urban population has more than doubled. UN projections indicate that by 2050, two-thirds of global population growth will occur in major cities, with the remaining third in smaller urban centers.
The number of megacities—urban areas with at least 10 million residents—has also surged, rising from eight cities in 1975 to 33 in 2025. Most of these, 19 cities, are located in Asia.
Jakarta tops the list of the largest cities by population, followed by Dhaka, Bangladesh, with nearly 40 million residents, and Tokyo, Japan, with 33 million.
According to the latest UN data compiled by Worldometer, Indonesia’s total population stands at 286 million, making it the fourth-most populous country in the world (including dependent territories), Anadolu reported via Antara.
Since 2019, Indonesia has planned to relocate its capital to Nusantara (IKN), a new city currently under construction. The $32 billion project (approximately Rp534.2 trillion) was originally scheduled for completion in 2024 and is now planned to serve as the country’s political capital by 2028. (aro)
