Largest Urban Populations
Largest Urban Populations: the dated top ten, the source and what this number of people living in urban areas comparison tells us.
In this 2024 source snapshot, China has the highest reported value among eligible entries: 928,439,823.00. India follows at 513,325,082.00. The unit is number of people living in urban areas.
About the data
Snapshot retrieved 14 October 2026. 199 eligible observations. Among supported countries and separately reported territories with data. Missing observations are excluded, not treated as zero. Rankings use unrounded values; displayed values are rounded to two decimals.
| Country | Value |
|---|---|
| China | 928,439,823 |
| India | 513,325,082 |
| United States | 272,427,294 |
| Brazil | 186,337,958 |
| Indonesia | 166,551,891 |
| Nigeria | 146,531,222 |
| Japan | 114,293,108 |
| Russian Federation | 107,913,022 |
| Mexico | 104,366,731 |
| Pakistan | 98,430,767 |
What the numbers mean
Urban population is a headcount, not the percentage of residents who live in cities. A large country can therefore have more urban residents while being less urbanised in percentage terms. Countries also use different definitions of urban areas. The source preserves those national classifications, which limits strict like-for-like comparisons.
Where the top ten ends
The tenth entry is Pakistan at 98,430,767.00. This is a cutoff within the published comparison, not evidence that countries outside the table have no activity. The date and coverage are part of the answer: updating the source or changing the eligible territories can change who appears.
Source and method
Snapshot retrieved 14 October 2026. 199 eligible observations. Among supported countries and separately reported territories with data. Missing observations are excluded, not treated as zero. Rankings use unrounded values; displayed values are rounded to two decimals.
Source: World Bank