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Biggest Cities in the World - 2100

What are projected to be the world's most populous urban areas in the year 2100?
According to this source
The linked source groups urban areas differently than most of our other quizzes
Quiz by OskarRB
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Last updated: May 6, 2019
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First submittedMarch 15, 2019
Times taken65,923
Average score50.0%
Rating4.30
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Continent
Population
City
Africa
88.3 m
Lagos
Africa
83.5 m
Kinshasa
Africa
73.7 m
Dar Es Salaam
Asia
67.2 m
Mumbai
Asia
57.3 m
Delhi
Africa
56.7 m
Khartoum
Africa
56.1 m
Niamey
Asia
54.2 m
Dhaka
Asia
52.4 m
Kolkata
Asia
50.3 m
Kabul
Asia
49.1 m
Karachi
Africa
46.7 m
Nairobi
Africa
41.4 m
Lilongwe
Africa
40.9 m
Blantyre
Africa
40.5 m
Cairo
Continent
Population
City
Africa
40.2 m
Kampala
Asia
40.0 m
Manila
Africa
37.7 m
Lusaka
Africa
36.4 m
Mogadishu
Africa
35.8 m
Addis Ababa
Asia
34.1 m
Baghdad
North America
30.2 m
New York City
Africa
28.8 m
N'Djamena
Africa
28.3 m
Kano
Asia
27.2 m
Sana'a
Asia
27.0 m
Lahore
Asia
25.8 m
Chennai
Asia
25.6 m
Tokyo
Asia
24.8 m
Bangalore
Africa
23.7 m
Ibadan
+31
Level ∞
May 6, 2019
A few notes about this quiz.

1) The source doesn't combine Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and surrounding cities like citypopualtion.de does. Otherwise Guangzhou would be here.

2) We can be pretty confident about projections made for the next 30 years.

3) However, on this time scale, projections will probably be very inaccurate. 80 years out, population growth matters a lot. Blantyre currently has a population of around 1 million, and is projected to grow to 40 million.

+16
Level 66
May 6, 2019
Well we can be pretty sure for the next 30 years barring any major disasters or wars. So this quiz is assuming that in the next 81 years Tanzania won’t separate from the rest of Africa and sink into the ocean
+2
Level 69
May 6, 2019
But is it more probable or not that there will be a major disaster in the next 30 years? Climate disasters? Wars for (e.g. Himalayan) water supply? Wars in the South China sea for hegemony over the global trade routes? Continent-size proxy wars for resources in Africa, followed by subsequent civil wars?
+2
Level ∞
May 7, 2019
@TheLastFish. It's hard to estimate, but I would say the chance of a major conflict in the next 30 years is lower than in any other 30 year period in human history. We are living in by far the most peaceful, prosperous time there has ever been. And it's not even close.
+1
Level 75
Mar 6, 2024
Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, combined with growing talk that it wants to conquer a few more countries if it succeeds there, might change that prediction somewhat.
+3
Level 46
Oct 22, 2019
Nah, I say we are pretty sure things won't go as smoothly as everybody here seems to think. For once, the global warming is not going to disappear and lots of land are going to get flooded (Also there is a risk for densely populated regions depending on mountains for their water supply in the dry season). This will lead to massive exodus and global political destabilization, in turn leading to war, diseases, starvation...

The second big aspect is the oil supply : even optimistic estimates don't think the supplies will last for more than 50 years (and it is probable we are currently nearing peak oil). Without more oil supply global trade will diminish (or even collapse) thus leading to stravation and wars for resources. I'd say we can go on with business as usual for 10 years but after that nothing's too certain. But a population of 20B people is just impossible, whatever happens something will stop us to grow that big (be it ourselves, shortage on food or diseases)...

+15
Level 82
May 17, 2019
It's an interesting exercise (both the quiz and the underlying research), but even the paper the source list is based on recognizes that the projections about Sub-Saharan Africa in particular are implausible:

"Projecting city growth, typified by Lagos growing from 10.6 million in 2010 to 88.3 million in 2100, calls for a healthy measure of scepticism; many variables could change. Projections used here are linked to the 2050 WUP city estimates that, especially in Africa, are suspect, and here these projections are extended for yet another 50 years, suggesting caution in their use. . . . Niamey, Niger for example is projected to grow from under 1 million inhabitants today to 56 million in 2100. Growth rates like these appear overstated, especially in one of the world’s poorest countries with an insufficient economic base to support this rate of urbanization."

(The updated paper is here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956247816663557)

+5
Level ∞
May 17, 2019
Go back 50 years and predict "Lagos will have 18 million people by 2019". No doubt the same objections would be raised and yet, here were we. While the future will likely be different in unfathomable ways, the null hypothesis is to assume that current trends will continue.
+3
Level 46
Oct 22, 2019
Sure, but it's unrealistic. When a car goes at maximum speed into a wall, the null hypothesis says that the car is going to continue going at full speed, but in reality the car is going to crash against the wall...
+19
Level 88
May 6, 2019
For Lilongwe in geographically tiny, landlocked Malawi to reach 40 million people it would require political union with a larger country or development into a trading dynamo like strategically situated Hong Kong and Singapore.

I mean seriously these numbers must assume political or economic changes, with which would probably come reduced natural increase.

+20
Level 84
May 8, 2019
And that's only considering Lilongwe. Now add Blantyre (also in Malawi) to the mix...
+28
Level 88
May 8, 2019
I didn't even know what Blantyre was. Sounds like an Irish coastal town.
+5
Level 72
May 4, 2023
It was named for a town in Scotland, actually.
+2
Level 47
Jun 19, 2019
That's what I thought! They got it from this wikipedia article in the 2100 cities population column: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Projections_of_population_growth
+4
Level 71
Dec 15, 2020
Yeah. Are 2 of the 15 largest cities in the world *really* going to be in Malawi? If you look at what Wikipedia says, it has both of their populations rising from ~15 million in 2075 to ~40 million in 2050--a total increase of 50 million people in these cities over just 25 years! I know these projections are probably very inaccurate, but still the idea that this *could* happen astonishes me.
+1
Level 69
May 6, 2019
Looks like the source loves business as usual scenarios...But then they have to take at the very least the devasting consequences of climate change into account. A more plausible estimation for Lagos, Dhaka, and alike is then < 1 Mio except we start to contruct submarine cities.
+5
Level ∞
May 7, 2019
Maybe in the year 2500. Worst case scenarios call for a 3 foot rise in sea levels by 2100. Climate change is bad, but humans will adapt. Pity the other species who won't be so fortunate.
+12
Level 74
May 12, 2019
Humankind will adapt, but many humans won't be so fortunate. Many cities, too. Climate change is not just sea level rise.
+9
Level 74
Jun 17, 2019
You discount the degree to which we rely on all those other species in ways we haven't begun to understand. Homo Sapiens is part of the planetary ecosystem and less able, imo, to exist separately than we like to think. Some part of us may well become a new species, but h. Sapiens will not survive unless we can preserve a substantial portion of the biological world in which we evolved.
+2
Level 50
Jan 18, 2020
I think the aspect of climate change that will hinder the growth of these massive metropolises is more likely to be drought than sea level rise. A good number of them are located in the desert, and also the desert is expanding....
+32
Level 87
May 7, 2019
The idea of Malawi having 2 cities bigger than Shanghai seems kind of ridiculous.
+4
Level 71
Apr 6, 2020
But imagine Niamey on the edge of the Sahara Desert, from 1 million now to 56 million by 2100 then on to 600 million by 2200. A report on Niamey says that the women in Niamey that have to collect wood for cooking etc. rarely have to venture more than a few kilometres to collect enough for the day ...... fun times ahead.
+15
Level 55
Feb 23, 2021
600 million? I hope that's a typo...
+8
Level 90
May 7, 2019
What about New Mombasa? It seemed pretty populous untill the aliens blew out that space elevator.
+1
Level 47
May 7, 2019
He he :)
+9
Level 58
May 8, 2019
R.I.P China
+11
Level 86
May 9, 2019
How is it possible that no Chinese cities are on this list? Where is Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou (even without citypopulation.de's stupid combination)? And how are none of these larger than Saigon?
+17
Level ∞
May 9, 2019
The population of China is projected to fall significantly by 2100.
+2
Level 58
May 10, 2019
That is if we make it before the Earth die
+10
Level 60
Jun 6, 2019
Dhaka, Kolkata, Mumbai, Tokyo, Dar Es Salaam, Karachi, New York will all be underwater by 2100 with with a population of 0 inhabitants
+18
Level ∞
Jun 6, 2019
What? No they won't. As mentioned above, worst-case scenarios call for a 3 foot rise in sea levels by 2100.
+6
Level 78
Jun 17, 2019
But isn't that just the average sea level rise, with many places being affected more severely?
+1
Level 75
Jun 17, 2019
That may be true and may not. While sea level rise is clearly on the horizon, it's very uncertain how fast it will happen (and thus how much land will be inundated by whatever time). The main point, though, is correct in that it challenges the apparent clarity of these projections. It's pretty ridiculous to project Dhaka's population with any certainty. Zero might be as good a guess as any.
+1
Level 59
Aug 12, 2020
how would 100 miles of flooding happen in tokyo
+3
Level 48
Jun 17, 2019
Curious how these cities would be able to support that many people
+1
Level 24
Jun 17, 2019
and Jakarta is not included in the list? inaccurate!
+14
Level 47
Jun 17, 2019
Jakarta is in danger of flooding and it's already visible every year when the rain comes, which varies from 70 to 125 inches a year throughout the country’s lowlands, the floodwaters have nowhere to go. And the city floods every year; 13 rivers run through it, and best believe they fill up with water. This is also the reason why they've plans on moving their capital to Palangkaraya on Borneo.
+4
Level 66
Jun 17, 2019
The source doesn't even take into account the creation of skynet...
+6
Level ∞
Jun 18, 2019
Finally someone gets it. Although, in my opinion existential risk due to the creation of strong AI is probably greater than that due to climate change. We already know how to stop climate change (we just lack the will). If we create strong AI, there will be no way to stop it except to hope that is is nice to us.
+2
Level 42
May 26, 2020
Do we know how to stop climate change?
+1
Level 55
Feb 23, 2021
Agreed
+1
Level 88
Feb 4, 2020
Nor does it take into account X-Seed 4000, which would be 4 kilometers high and house 1,000,000 people.
+16
Level 75
Jun 17, 2019
What ridiculous methodology. Demography reduced to mathematics. They do nothing but take past trends, map them onto current populations, and do the calculations. It reminds me of projections for the population of Mexico City back in the late '70s and early '80s. But why believe me - from the brief article itself: "Projecting city growths typified by Lagos growing form 10.6 million in 2010 to 88.3 million in 2100 obviously call for a fulsome measure of skepticism; many variables could change."
+1
Level 75
Jan 28, 2021
Just to play devil's advocate Nigeria's population in 2010 was 10.6 million as you said, but now in the beginning of 2021 it is already 14.8 million and the growth has increased every year and is projected to increase for a very long time in the future. The question really is if something major is going to happen to decrease the population and what is the carrying capacity in the area. If Lagos develops while the population increases it could be possible to sustain a very large amount of people (although I agree 88.3 million probably won't happen).
+7
Level 58
Jun 17, 2019
Almost 90 million people in an area that is about 3 feet above sea level, at low tide. I doubt it, but ...
+13
Level 82
Jun 20, 2019
Invest now in companies that sell life preservers
+10
Level 58
Jun 17, 2019
I read the U of Ontairo's list very carefully and I wonder how Kongo should support a 80m metropolis and Malawi two 40m mega cities...

It reminds me of end of 19th century predictions of the amount of horse manure for the upcoming 20th century...

+3
Level 56
Jun 18, 2019
I dont think that Niamey in Niger(currently under 1 million population) and N'Djamena in Chad (1,2 million) will have that many people living in there
+3
Level 44
Jun 18, 2019
Scary...so may ppl will be born into a world with few rights and no assets. It is hard to believe that we can maintain a decent life with clean water and food. What will happen to the forests and the oceans? Plus soil erosion...
+7
Level 75
Jun 18, 2019
A much bigger cause of ecological destruction than billions of poor people: millions of rich people.
+5
Level 58
Jun 20, 2019
Yes, but ... I used to live in rural Sichuan in China about 20 years ago. People in general were subsistence farmers, whose average income per year was about $100 US. Nevertheless, the pollution was mind-boggling. There were days when you could not see across the street. Rivers ran some pretty strange and unnatural colours. I would wonder how they were getting that level of pollution when the average person had nothing.
+4
Level 66
Oct 24, 2019
Two biggest cities of Malawi (Lilongwe and Blantyre) with population rising from 1M to 40M. What a projection!
+3
Level 65
Nov 3, 2019
Dhaka probably won’t exist by then
+3
Level 75
Jan 28, 2021
Dhaka and Kolkata will be so big they'll be the same city
+1
Level 75
Nov 11, 2019
Shanghai, Jakarta and Seoul are bigger than 23.7 million right now, let alone in 80 years time.
+2
Level ∞
Jan 4, 2020
The birth rate in China and South Korea is very low. Absent changes, both countries will have shrinking populations in the near future.
+1
Level 56
Jan 17, 2020
Even if the birth rates of the countries are low, it doesn't mean the cities will shrink at such a rate. Migration from small towns and cities to China's bigger cities is quite likely. Guaranteeing that some of these cities would rank surely.
+1
Level 75
Jan 28, 2021
Its not just that the birth rates are low, its that they are expected to continue decreasing. Migration won't be able to overturn the sharp decrease in NIR (Natural Increase Rate) we will see in these cities in the near future (let alone in 80 years).
+4
Level 58
Dec 10, 2019
Tokyo (2020): Hey, we're lookin' pretty good

Lagos (2100): Hold my beer

But seriously, it would be awesome to look at this quiz again in 2100 and compare.

+4
Level 74
Jan 3, 2020
Look at the predictions made for San Francisco when the Gold Rush hit or Detroit at the peak of the Car production or Moscow when the Soviet Union was growing, cities will grow and shrink, rise and fall. Growth rates rarely remain in place for decades. After a war people return and growth rates go through the roof (Baghdad, Kabul), which can change in a heart beat. Africa will no doubt grow, but maybe we'll see Vietnam surge or Turkey rejuvenate, even Saudiarabia may change drastically and produce a mega-city. Who knows...
+1
Level 64
Feb 4, 2020
That's a guess. China will no longer exist in 2100. That's a shame...
+2
Level 72
May 4, 2023
Considering China's track record on human rights, maybe that's not the worst thing.
+9
Level 82
Feb 4, 2020
Extremely dubious, as others have pointed out.
+4
Level 71
Mar 20, 2020
Having been to many of these cities I'll just take 'Niamey' for example. The population is approx. 1 million now and many have no potable water, scrambling for food, no paying jobs etc. How will they have a population of 56 million in 80 years? ....... Can someone tell us how this miracle is to be achieved?
+2
Level 55
Oct 12, 2020
indeed
+1
Level 22
Jun 23, 2020
That’s a lot of people
+3
Level 59
Aug 12, 2020
Lilongwe is a VERY SMALL city right now so I will be extremely surprised if in 2100 it has 40MILLION
+17
Level 78
Oct 19, 2020
Indeed, it'll be renamed bigongwe.
+2
Level 75
Jan 28, 2021
Bigongwe and Bigntyre City
+2
Level 36
Nov 17, 2020
I cant believe how big in population Africa's gonna get.
+3
Level 57
Dec 22, 2020
I just dont think many of these places are sustainable. Sana´a? The countries been at war for years, is in a desert, and as the war continues and global warming gets worse, oil starts running out, I just don't see it happening
+1
Level 55
Jan 2, 2021
I think that Niamey will indeed be able to grow this much. Niamey has an urban area that is HUGE. 30 percent of that is desert, a growth in population = a GDP explosion, which Niger can use to develop Niamey to make it capable of having that many people.
+1
Level 75
Jan 28, 2021
Niger also had a 3.81% growth rate from 2015-2020 which was the third biggest in the world.
+5
Level 64
Jan 8, 2021
I guess China picked the wrong side of WWIII...
+2
Level 55
Jan 15, 2021
Mozambique is projected to grow so much, but how come Maputo isn't here?
+2
Level 75
Jan 28, 2021
Maputo is 36th and misses by about 2.6 m
+1
Level 52
Jan 22, 2021
Wouldn't Luanda (Angola) be on here? Its projected growth is supposed to be huge.....
+2
Level 75
Jan 28, 2021
Luanda is 31st, misses the list by 130,000
+1
Level 63
Feb 9, 2021
Five stars, great quiz! For some reason it was Asia I was getting tripped up on.
+4
Level 26
Feb 9, 2021
YES KABUL IS UP THERE I LOVE U AFGHANISTAN

yes I am from kabul

+1
Level 26
Feb 9, 2021
i can't believe that Beijing and shanghai arent up there
+2
Level 43
Mar 13, 2021
Niamey's metro area currently has a population of 1.3 million. Why is it expected to get so large in the next 80 years?
+1
Level 29
Apr 18, 2021
That's what I thought too. The fertility rate is just super high there. Right now it's currently at around 6.
+1
Level 29
Apr 18, 2021
Stop typing in huge paragraphs like bruh
+1
Level 60
May 10, 2021
I'm glad to live in Europe
+1
Level 66
Jul 20, 2021
Isn't the 'es' in Dar es Salaam all lowercases?
+1
Level 51
Jul 24, 2021
I just read the comments. Interesting. Populations decreasing because of Covid, floods, wildfires and so on.....
+2
Level 60
Jul 27, 2021
Africa asia Africa Africa asia asia africa africa, so on so on. One lone North American city.
+5
Level 58
Oct 13, 2021
This is flawed as it only looks at current population growth. It doesn't take demographic transition into account. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic_transition
+2
Level 66
Nov 29, 2021
Among other things, but yes a decade or two ago, half of these would have been in Bangladesh
+1
Level 53
Feb 10, 2022
These numbers rising like Youtube views.
+2
Level 66
May 7, 2022
These are predicted numbers. But very unlikely numbers. It would be near impossible to sustain populations these sizes in cities like Niamey and N'djamena. They would have to import nearly all their food, since these are poor agricultural areas.
+1
Level 65
Jun 2, 2022
30 million people in NYC? No there won't be, they'll flee to other states like Florida, Texas, or nearby Jersey. To the above points, the climate doesn't even have to change. More people than ever, not just in bulk but as a percentage, live along the coast. All weather has to do is repeat events of the past and catastrophe rates will be much higher. Also, the quiz doesn't account for the number of people that I believe will be eaten by manbearpig and other related species in the years to come.
+4
Level 52
Jun 4, 2022
If Blantyre has 40 million people by 2100, my descendants will eat my ashes.
+4
Level 66
Sep 8, 2022
Trying this quiz every few months. Always stuck at 24... I think i'll never get the Cities badge
+1
Level 16
Nov 16, 2022
No chance any of these African cities hold this much I could see Lagos and cairo
+1
Level 20
Aug 28, 2023
There is literally no way that Malawi's population is gonna be that high.
+1
Level 38
Sep 18, 2023
im scared
+1
Level 75
Jan 19, 2024
This quiz is based on a paper written in 2014. Is there any updated info?
+1
Level ∞
Jan 19, 2024
No, there isn't.
+1
Level 32
Feb 27, 2024
bigongwe army bro!
+1
Level 32
Feb 27, 2024
honestly, how on earth are two cities in a landlocked country in southern Africa predicted to have a population more than cities like Johannesburg and Cape Town, cities that have thousands of square miles to grow to house a lot of people!