Is this city population or metro area population?

The figures are approximate metropolitan or urban agglomeration populations, which include the surrounding built-up area, not just the administrative city limits. Metro figures are usually much larger than city-proper counts.

Why do population numbers differ between sources?

Different bodies draw city boundaries differently and count at different dates, so estimates vary. This list uses rounded agglomeration estimates suitable for ranking and comparison, not for official statistics.

What are the coordinates for?

The latitude and longitude point to the city centre. They are handy for plotting cities on a map, computing distances with the haversine formula, or seeding test data in a mapping application.

Which is the largest city in the world?

By metropolitan population Tokyo is consistently ranked first, with a greater Tokyo area of roughly 37 million people, followed by Delhi and Shanghai. Exact ordering shifts as estimates are revised.

How current is this data?

It reflects recent agglomeration estimates rounded to the nearest hundred thousand. Cities grow continuously, so treat figures as a snapshot for comparison and verify against the latest census or UN data for precise work.

World Cities Population Reference

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Whether you are building a city picker, seeding a map, or settling a pub argument about which city is biggest, this reference ranks the world’s largest cities by metropolitan population. Each row shows the country, an approximate population, and the city-centre coordinates.

How it works

Cities are ranked by metropolitan (urban agglomeration) population — the continuous built-up area, which is far larger than the legal city limits. The list is sorted by rank, and you can filter it by city or country name. Each entry includes:

Rank — global position by metro population.
Population — rounded agglomeration estimate.
Coordinates — latitude and longitude of the city centre, useful for mapping and distance maths.

Tips and notes

Population figures vary between sources because every body defines city boundaries and counts at different times. The estimates here are rounded for ranking and comparison, not official statistics. For precise work, cross-check against the latest national census or the UN World Urbanization Prospects dataset. The coordinates pair neatly with a haversine-distance tool if you need to compute how far apart two cities are.