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Biggest Cities in the World

How many of the world's 50 most populous urban areas can you name?
As of January 2025 according to citypopulation.de
Urban area population, not city proper population
One loosely-defined area filled in by default
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Featured Quiz
Last updated: March 11, 2025
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More quiz info >>
First submittedMarch 25, 2012
Times taken696,453
Average score56.0%
Rating4.90
Quiz and answer stats >>
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Population
Urban Area
72.7 m
Guangzhou /
Shenzhen
41.6 m
Shanghai
41.2 m
Tokyo
35.7 m
Delhi
29.5 m
Jakarta
27.8 m
Manila
27.6 m
Mumbai
25.4 m
Mexico City
25.2 m
Seoul
23.1 m
Dhaka
22.8 m
Cairo
22.6 m
São Paulo
21.8 m
Bangkok
21.8 m
New York City
21.5 m
Beijing
21.3 m
Lagos
21.0 m
Karachi
Population
Urban Area
18.8 m
Moscow
18.1 m
Chengdu
17.9 m
Kolkata
17.7 m
Osaka
17.1 m
Los Angeles
16.8 m
Buenos Aires
16.8 m
Tehran
16.3 m
Kinshasa
16.0 m
Istanbul
15.4 m
Xiamen
15.1 m
London
14.8 m
Johannesburg
14.7 m
Bangalore
14.6 m
Hangzhou
14.6 m
Lahore
14.3 m
Ho Chi Minh City
13.6 m
Rio de Janeiro
Population
Urban Area
13.4 m
Xi'an
12.9 m
Chennai
12.9 m
Chongqing
12.6 m
Wuhan
12.0 m
Lima
11.7 m
Hyderabad
11.7 m
Tianjin
11.5 m
Changsha
11.5 m
Paris
10.9 m
Rhine-Ruhr
10.6 m
Bogotá
10.5 m
Nagoya
10.3 m
Zhengzhou
10.1 m
Taipei
9.90 m
Ahmedabad
9.65 m
Luanda
9.60 m
Chicago
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100 Recent Comments
DaCheese
+1
Level 29
Aug 13, 2020
34/50 argh
Matty401
+1
Level 42
Sep 3, 2020
46/50 missed Taipei, Shenyang, Hangzhou and Kuala Lumpur
horper13
+1
Level 56
Oct 27, 2020
how did I get Shenyang and miss Moscow smh
ptilinopus
+1
Level 44
Nov 15, 2020
The list cites the 2019 version of the website, but that version is no longer accessible - only the 2020 version. I suggest updating the quiz to match. It involves a few citiies changing places, and removed Riyadh in favour of Shenyang. Also, it gives local names and English names. Some of the English names are accepted, some are not. E.g., the list gives Tianjin=Tientsin, but this quiz rejects Tientsin. At the same time, it the quiz accepts Calcutta (=Kolkata). I suggest that all English names given be accepted alternates.
Ferinoze
+1
Level 61
Apr 10, 2021
Tientsin is not the English name for Tianjin (which is the english name), as opposed to 天津。 "Tientsin" is just a romanisation which as fell out of use.
Gllombfek
+1
Level 53
Mar 13, 2022
Yes. citypopulation.de says that the "English Names" are the former names (eg Madras for Chennai, Bombay for Mumbai, Bangalore for Bengaluru), but I call them by their (now common in English) names.
Danem20
+3
Level 85
Mar 12, 2025
I don't think there's anyone alive anymore who uses Wade Giles for Chinese.
parkave
+3
Level 57
Nov 30, 2020
42/50 but i forget beijing smh
chailattee
+1
Level 62
Mar 1, 2021
I forgot Shanghai. I always forget it's there, because in the south there is the Pearl River delta and Hong Kong, and in the north there is Beijing and Tianjin, but there isn't really anything in between other than Shanghai and the cities surrounding it.
rhinobaby
+3
Level 71
Feb 28, 2021
Laughably innacurate numbers😂😂
MavsFanForLife25
+11
Level 77
Feb 28, 2021
I mean the source is approved by many organizations dude. Calm down
Inferno46
+3
Level 54
Aug 27, 2022
They're accurate.
Destrochloridium
+1
Level 46
May 19, 2025
no guys, the quiz is wrong. rhinobaby said so.
Irish28
+1
Level 44
Feb 28, 2021
Toronto is larger than Paris.....
chailattee
+6
Level 62
Mar 1, 2021
No it's not. The Greater Toronto area has around 6.5 million people, and the Paris Metro Area has around 12 million.
marquez
+1
Level 46
Mar 1, 2021
forgot xiamen and bengalore...
BigGeographyGuy
+1
Level 62
Mar 29, 2021
I'm sure that Karachi has an urban population of about 30 million.
kaisaru
+3
Level 15
May 8, 2021
I lived in Xiamen a few years - it isn't that big. I'm guessing it was combined with Zhangzhou and maybe another? Most Xiamen folk would be surprised to be on this list.
Gllombfek
+1
Level 53
Mar 13, 2022
According to citypopulation.de, Xiàmén is combined with Jìnjiāng and Quánzhōu.
SouthKorea
+1
Level 47
May 19, 2021
Wait... Why does Seoul has 25 million populations? Seoul only has 9.8 million... 25 million populations are in the South Korea's Metropolitan area which contains Seoul.

Sorry if I am wrong

there might be some grammatical errors

zupermaus
+4
Level 40
Dec 7, 2021
The contiguous city of Seoul-Incheon covers 25 million, ignoring the city boundaries drawn on the map.
RyanVon24
+1
Level 43
Jul 18, 2021
please double check these as Houston is way bigger than DC, yet "Washington/Baltimore" is included but Houston is not.
Quizmaster
+6
Level ∞
Jul 18, 2021
The quiz is accurate.
GreenJacket
+1
Level 40
Feb 1, 2023
Houston pop is 2.2 million
hmael
+2
Level 65
Jul 20, 2021
Kuala Lumpur does not have 9.15 million people. If you include all the suburbs, at most it has about 3.5 million people.
Jaivik
+2
Level 30
Aug 16, 2021
How could I miss Mexico City?????!!!!!
Jaivik
+3
Level 30
Aug 16, 2021
And also Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad!?
SouthKorea
+2
Level 47
Sep 3, 2021
I don' think Seoul has 25 million populations.. It is not even a megacity now! I think the population of Seoul included Gyeongi-Do whose land covers Seoul. If I am wrong, please tell me why :)
zupermaus
+2
Level 40
Dec 7, 2021
If you connect all the parts of the city into one - this is how all the other cities are counted also, with all the connected towns and cities combined into one so long as they are touching. The NYC count for example takes in huge parts of the countryside, without even having to touch each other, that's the size of a small country. -Seoul is much more contiguous: https://www.dreamstime.com/high-resolution-satellite-image-seoul-metropolitan-area-south-korea-aerial-background-map-contains-modified-copernicus-sentinel-image155221570
RSGenius25
+1
Level 37
Oct 9, 2021
I really took the L with that; 29
Nooitmeerlaf
+2
Level 66
Nov 9, 2021
Got all except Washington....
Eduardoleonl05
+1
Level 25
Dec 9, 2021
Got 46 on the first try, those last 4 were the same 4 the rest of the people forgot too! Ahmedabad, Luanda, Xiamen and Hangzhou. I would've never thought about them, in fact, I think I've never heard of Xiamen in my entire life. Either way, I kinda did well
TheLightRider
+1
Level 41
Feb 17, 2022
How did I miss Tokyo, I'm a failure.
Skatteunndrager
+1
Level 53
Oct 4, 2022
You’re god damn right
Atzuul
+2
Level 43
Feb 28, 2022
india's capital is actually called NEW Delhi, not just Delhi
Gllombfek
+5
Level 53
Mar 13, 2022
I agree, the capital is New Delhi, but the urban agglomeration is centred in the larger Delhi, of which New Delhi is a part of. The city also includes: Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gurgaon.
IceCold
+2
Level 59
Jan 23, 2024
The Delhi metro area (known as NCR) includes Delhi, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida and Greater Noida (along with a bunch of other smaller centers)
Inferno46
+1
Level 54
Aug 27, 2022
This isn't about capitals. This is about the city of Delhi.
Enderboi
+1
Level 39
Mar 5, 2022
I got 30/50. There's room for improvement, but my dream is to become really good at geography. Any of you guys have any pointers?
Skatteunndrager
+1
Level 53
Oct 4, 2022
I got all right. I am better than you. Lol
QuizKoa
+6
Level 51
Mar 27, 2025
Wow that must be really helpful advice for this person.
erutnevanob
+1
Level 46
Mar 28, 2025
memorise biggest cities yet lesser known in China and India first such as Hangzhou, Changsha, Zhengzhou, Qingdao, Tianjin, Wuhan, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an, Xiamen, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, etc..

then, the capital of South East Asian countries Jakarta (Indonesia), Manila (Philippines), Bangkok (Thailand). Africa 5 biggest cities: Cairo (Egypt), Lagos (Nigeria), Kinshasa (DRC), Joburg (SA), Luanda (Angola)

Gllombfek
+1
Level 53
Mar 12, 2022
I think citypopulation.de has been updated. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-etc. agglomeration has grown by 17.5 million!
Skatteunndrager
+2
Level 53
Oct 4, 2022
No
pipo3938
+1
Level 33
Aug 5, 2022
I focused so much on getting the hardest cities that i forgot about Paris and London, got 48/50
Skatteunndrager
+1
Level 53
Oct 4, 2022
I got them easily HAHAHAHAHA
manOFsteel
+2
Level 44
Aug 18, 2022
I forgot Washington...the city I LIVE IN
Skatteunndrager
+1
Level 53
Oct 4, 2022
Stoooopi
Gamerboyscored
+1
Level 28
Sep 28, 2022
3:10 100%
bentshaggyoil
+1
Level 62
Oct 23, 2022
AUGH FORGOT SEOUL
Mogysht
+2
Level 50
Jan 2, 2023
This definitely needs an update. Guangzhou is 60+ million according to the source.
shaniquanderson
+1
Level 58
Jan 12, 2023
i missed moscow ;-;
IBRK
+1
Level 75
Jan 16, 2023
missed the H in Riyadh
SuperAhmedMan
+1
Level 66
Feb 3, 2023
Qingdao has a population around ~9 million
teribltylr
+2
Level 45
Feb 7, 2023
pls accept "guangzho" for "guangzhou" i literally just forgot the u
blizzrd33
+4
Level 80
Mar 1, 2023
How can 48/50 only be worth 4 points...
KennethTAA
+3
Level 62
Mar 2, 2023
these new populations for china are screwing with my head lol
HyddenRizz
+1
Level 67
Mar 3, 2023
I had them all memorised and then three Chinese cities I haven't heard of enter the fray!
SpartanLlama
+1
Level 74
Mar 2, 2023
Got 37, the average
MCdoesgeography
+2
Level 71
Mar 3, 2023
Pleeeeease accept Changsa for Changsha
GlobalCitizen
+1
Level 65
Mar 3, 2023
The only two cities that I missed are two cities that I actually visited, Xi'an and Zhengzhou.

I think maybe Luanda could have made the list instead of Riyadh.

RabbitBoat
+1
Level 26
Mar 18, 2023
bro why did u list the answers we just cant copy

*thinks how much he took to write the answers on comment*

VaultAgentMoez
+2
Level 64
Apr 6, 2023
46/50 and I forgot Delhi but got every other Indian city on the list 😐, surprised Riyadh made it so I decided to skip it, never would've guessed changsha
nultayy
+2
Level 64
Apr 11, 2023
somehow forgot the city i live in ahahahahahahaa
slimpasty
+1
Level 66
Apr 19, 2023
It's very demoralizing to get 48/50 and miss Beijing and Tehran
SpartanLlama
+1
Level 74
Apr 20, 2023
42/50
3ng11sh
+1
Level 31
Jul 3, 2023
I really need to know my Asian geography…

34/50 and the cities that I missed were Asian

bigbywolf
+1
Level 55
Jul 13, 2023
Number of cities per UN geoscheme group:

Eastern Asia: 17

Southern Asia: 11

South Amercia: 5

Southeastern Asia: 4

Northern America: 3

Western Asia: 2

Central America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, Western Africa, Middle Africa, Southern Africa: 1

Dollyfroggy
+2
Level 63
Aug 17, 2023
Huh. I didn't realize Hangzhou was a megacity.
GEOkid123
+2
Level 25
Aug 18, 2023
Guangzhou does not have that many people. It's Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai, Guangzhou about 15 or 20th.
CambodianQuizzer
+2
Level 71
Jul 2, 2024
Metro population. Not total population.
976EVIL
+2
Level 39
Aug 20, 2023
have you considered accepting CDMX as a write-in for Mexico City?
AnAussieHawk1
+1
Level 69
Sep 24, 2023
Just got them in the time limit. Had to rack my mind to remember the names of a few Chinese cities.
Username6547
+1
Level 68
Nov 21, 2023
Got 47/50, and forgot NYC...
EpicFailure
+2
Level 30
Dec 25, 2023
50/50
jollix
+1
Level 48
Feb 10, 2024
49/50 ... zhengzhou
YoshiSoda
+3
Level 44
Feb 22, 2024
grinding badges
YoshiSoda
+1
Level 44
Feb 22, 2024
just started tho
SupBroDude
+1
Level 49
May 21, 2024
Bro I missed the obvious ones of Seoul, Dhaka, and Bangkok
Mal73
+2
Level 35
Jun 3, 2024
Guangzhou absolutely does not have a population of over 60 million people.

That is absolutely insane, what is the source for that number?

The CCP?

I have not found a single source that puts it at more than 19 million, maybe you mixed up the population of Guangzhou with that of the Guangdong region?

CambodianQuizzer
+4
Level 71
Jul 2, 2024
It's the metro area population. Not the total population. The Guangzhou/Shenzhen metro area has more than 60 million people.
zupermaus
+3
Level 40
Jan 6, 2025
In 2015 the World Bank made Guangzhou the world's biggest city, pipping Tokyo with 41 million. If you check it out on Google Earth the city is now contiguously joined to Shenzhen via Dongguan, as in one can walk from one end to the other on urban streets surrounded by dense buildings. Look along the east side of the Pearl River, where a vast belt of urbanity has coursed down the river. This is not to be confused with a metro (that would count 60-86 million, in an area smaller than the San Francisco Bay Area, or Los Angeles), nor a megalopolis -its one contiguous city with several different centres. The CP does not count it as one city, due to the legal jurisdictions, but it is knitting up all the transport networks into one vast system.

The same phenomenon is happening to Shanghai, which has now conjoined with Suzhou via Kunshan, a distance of only 60 miles, but 40 million people. Check it out on Google Earth, head west towards the big Taihu Lake that Suzhou sits across from.

CambodianQuizzer
+1
Level 71
Jul 2, 2024
New update? Luanda made the list. (Riyadh only has 7.5 million.)
Nachtschicht
+1
Level 59
Sep 20, 2024
I can't believe that I got 44, but missed New York...
TigerNiger
+1
Level 68
Dec 18, 2024
48- Somehow misspelled Zhengzhou, Forgot HCMC.
shape816
+1
Level 67
Feb 25, 2025
Most recent try got 49/50. Got Zhengzhou and Changsha. Missed Beijing. F me.
OvenBobat
+7
Level 60
Mar 11, 2025
What just got changed? My scores went down on a lot of city quizzes today
teggy
+1
Level 55
Mar 11, 2025
@OvenBoat

yea what happened

TurkeyCookTime
+2
Level 82
Mar 11, 2025
citypopulation.de updated all of their city populations, so all the quizzes had to be changed.
Damangio
+1
Level 64
Mar 13, 2025
Please be more forgiving on the spelling of Ho Chi Minh City.
HydratedMite
+1
Level 67
Apr 3, 2025
just type hcmc
GeoNat
+1
Level 55
Mar 14, 2025
Got Changsha but missed Chicago ;-; I was thinking about the three "Ch" Chinese cities and forgot the one American one lol
pieman
+1
Level 53
Mar 21, 2025
how could I forget Chengdu :pensive:
g4ndalf
+1
Level 75
Apr 3, 2025
Every time I take this quiz I miss a different city lol.
Yankou420
+1
Level 51
Apr 3, 2025
48/50 missed Luanda and Changsa
Spinshot5
+1
Level 70
Apr 3, 2025
45/50 for once I actually got every Chinese and Indian city though so that’s a win
carrotseeds
+1
Level 45
Apr 3, 2025
I guessed Luanda and it was correct, but that isn't even a very popular african city
percyjackson18
+1
Level 38
Apr 7, 2025
How could I miss Mumbai I literally live in India?!
EthanRen1
+1
Level 60
May 16, 2025
Missed Chongqing but am Chinese
iPad33
+1
Level 68
May 30, 2025
Wow Shanghai passed Tokyo
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