Jakarta, Indonesia, was named the most populous city in the world in the United Nations’ World Urbanization Prospects report last year.
But population doesn’t directly translate into how crowded the cities actually are — the 42 million residents of the Jakarta metro area, for instance, are spread over more than 2,500 square miles.
Residents of other cities, like Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Mumbai, India, have a bit less room, making them some of the most densely populated cities in the world.
Rankings of the most densely populated cities vary across different sources due to different population frameworks. Some sources limit their estimates to city limits, while others include the entire population of a greater metro area.
The UN’s World Urbanization Prospects report, however, highlights a broader societal move to city living. In 1950, per the report, 20% of the world’s population lived in cities. Today, that number has risen to 45%. Additionally, the number of megacities — defined by the report as having 10 million residents or more — jumped from eight in 1975 to 33 in 2025.
Business Insider compiled photos of densely populated cities around the world, based on the UN report and other sources. Residents of these cities deal with extensive traffic, crowded streets, housing shortages, and other issues associated with high population density.
See what life is like in the most densely populated cities in the world.
While not the most populous city in India, Mumbai is the country’s most densely populated city.
Mumbai is home to over 20 million residents, per the UN report.
The city is second in population to Delhi, which has over 30 million residents. The Indian news outlet WION reported that Greater Mumbai has roughly 27,000 people per square kilometer, or about 69,900 people per square mile.
That compares to just 11,320 people per square kilometer in Delhi, or about 29,300 people per square mile.
The city is in the middle of a housing crisis.
The average home price in Mumbai is 34 times more than residents’ average annual income, according to one estimate cited by NDTV in December 2025.
This exceeds New York’s ratio of nine times residents’ income and Hong Kong’s ratio of 21 times residents’ income.
Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo, has become increasingly crowded due to conflict.
In the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, conflict between militant groups and Congolese security forces has escalated, the Council on Foreign Relations reported.
As a result, the populations of cities in eastern regions like Beni have grown rapidly due to mass displacement. Beni’s exact population is unknown, but it is believed to have more than doubled in the last decade due to displaced people.
As a result, many residents live in difficult conditions as the city grapples with a humanitarian crisis.
On the western end of the country, Kinshasa is the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s most populous city.
The UN report estimated Kinshasa’s population at about 11 million residents, though it could be higher.
Violence is common in parts of the city, and NGOs work to educate and provide care for former homeless children there, according to Africa News.
In Karachi, Pakistan, residents grapple with extreme heat.
The UN report lists Karachi’s population at about 21 million and predicts the city will become one of the world’s top 10 most populous cities by 2030.
Pictured above, residents drink sugarcane juice to stay cool amid the extreme heat, per Xinhua News Agency. In recent months, temperatures in the city have crossed 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit), The Guardian reported.
Surat, India, is the world’s biggest exporter of diamonds.
Surat is home to about 6.9 million residents, per the UN report.
The city has about 14,000 people per square kilometer, or about 36,300 people per square mile, per WION.
Surat cuts and polishes 80% of the world’s diamonds, according to the AP. In 2020, the industry employed more than 800,000 workers in the city, according to the National Council of Applied Economic Research.
Textiles are the city’s second-largest industry.
NHK World Japan reported that the industry has been deeply affected by the liquefied petroleum gas shortage from the Iran war. In April, 200 of the city’s roughly 400 factories ceased operations.
Mogadishu, Somalia, is one of the biggest port cities on Africa’s eastern coast.
Mogadishu is Somalia’s capital and the country’s most populous city. The African Cities Research Consortium estimates its population at anywhere from 1.7 million to 2.9 million residents.
The city has often been the site of conflict in the ongoing Somali Civil War.
Manila, Philippines, is the most densely populated city in Metro Manila.
The city of Manila consists of roughly 2 million residents, although the broader metro area is much larger. Depending on which areas are included, the metro area has roughly 25 million residents, according to the UN report.
The larger area is known as the National Capital Region — or Metro Manila — and includes cities such as Quezon City, Makati City, and Pateros.
The city of Manila itself had 73,920 people per square kilometer, or about 191,000 people per square mile, in 2020, per the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Cultural and religious events draw large crowds in the city.
The Catholic tradition known as The Traslación, or The Feast of the Black Nazarene, takes place in Manila. In the tradition, crowds carry a 17th-century statue of Jesus in a procession through the city.
More than 8.12 million people participated in the event in 2025, The Inquirer reported.
Baghdad is Iraq’s most populous city and one of the most populous in the Middle East.
The city’s metro area has a population of roughly 6.4 million residents, according to the UN report.
Millions of vehicles per day generate significant traffic in the city, according to Shafaq News.
Dhaka, Bangladesh, like much of the country, is afflicted by flooding.
The greater metro area has a population of 36.5 million, according to the UN report. The city of Dhaka has over 10 million residents living in an area of less than 150 square miles.
Due to its climate and proximity to rivers, Dhaka is prone to extreme flooding. The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery labeled it “among the most climate-vulnerable megacities in the world.”
The city is seeking to expand its public transit system to support its population.
Dhaka has a metro system with one fully operational line and others in planning or construction. According to an Asian Transport Observatory report from 2024, 29% of the city’s population has convenient access to public transportation.
Residents also use rickshaws to get around.
There are about 80,000 of these bicycle passenger vehicles registered in Dhaka, with hundreds of thousands more unregistered, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
Rickshaws in Bangladesh are often painted with custom designs and are recognized by UNESCO for their cultural heritage.
While many people have fled Port-au-Prince, Haiti, it still remains densely populated.
Population estimates for Port-au-Prince vary heavily.
Per the UN, gang violence and crime are common in Port-au-Prince, and UN officials have estimated that gangs control about 90% of the city. This has caused a mass number of refugees, with roughly 30,000 residents fleeing the city in recent weeks after a new wave of attacks.
The displacement in the city represents the broader trend in the country, in which 1.4 million people have fled their homes due to violence.
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