Biggest Cities in the World by Century

Can you name the seven biggest cities in the world in each century since 800 BC?

Cities are given their modern (not historical) country affiliation

All populations are in millions, are based on urban area, and for earlier dates are approximate

Source: Ollie Bye

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Last updated: January 6, 2023

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First submitted	December 4, 2022
Times taken	2,730
Average score	46.4%
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2000
34.4 m	Japan	Tokyo
18.6 m	Japan	Osaka
18.4 m	Mexico	Mexico City
17.8 m	USA	New York
17.0 m	Brazil	São Paulo
16.1 m	India	Mumbai
15.6 m	India	New Delhi

1700
900 k	Bangladesh	Dhaka
750 k	Turkey	Constantinople
680 k	Japan	Edo
650 k	China	Beijing
570 k	UK	London
530 k	France	Paris
400 k	India	Delhi

1400
480 k	China	Nanjing
400 k	India	Vijayanagara
360 k	Egypt	Cairo
280 k	France	Paris
240 k	China	Hangzhou
150 k	China	Beijing
150 k	China	Guangzhou

1100
440 k	China	Kaifeng
210 k	Turkey	Constantinople
200 k	Cambodia	Angkor
150 k	Egypt	Cairo
150 k	Japan	Kyoto
150 k	Spain	Seville
150 k	India	Kalyani

800 AD
700 k	Iraq	Baghdad
600 k	China	Chang'an
250 k	China	Luoyang
250 k	Turkey	Constantinople
230 k	India	Kannauj
180 k	Guatemala	El Pilar
160 k	Spain	Córdoba

500 AD
400 k	Turkey	Constantinople
400 k	Iraq	Ctesiphon
200 k	China	Luoyang
150 k	Mexico	Teotihuacan
150 k	China	Jiankang
140 k	Belize	Caracol
100 k	India	Pataliputra

200 AD
600 k	Egypt	Alexandria
450 k	Italy	Rome
250 k	Turkey	Antioch
200 k	Tunisia	Carthage
190 k	China	Chang'an
150 k	Pakistan	Taxila
130 k	China	Chengdu

100 BC
600 k	Egypt	Alexandria
300 k	Iraq	Seleucia
240 k	China	Chang'an
200 k	India	Pataliputra
200 k	China	Luoyang
100 k	Pakistan	Taxila
100 k	China	Chengdu

400 BC
200 k	Iraq	Babylon
200 k	China	Luoyang
200 k	China	Linzi
200 k	Tunisia	Carthage
200 k	China	Kaifeng
100 k	Italy	Syracuse
100 k	India	Pataliputra

700 BC
100 k	Egypt	Thebes
100 k	Iraq	Babylon
100 k	Egypt	Memphis
100 k	Belize	Caracol
100 k	Iraq	Nineveh
100 k	China	Luoyang
100 k	China	Linzi

1900
8.1 m	UK	London
3.8 m	USA	New York
3.3 m	France	Paris
2.7 m	Germany	Berlin
1.7 m	USA	Chicago
1.6 m	Austria	Vienna
1.4 m	Japan	Tokyo

1600
700 k	China	Beijing
700 k	Turkey	Constantinople
430 k	Pakistan	Lahore
370 k	India	Agra
350 k	Japan	Kyoto
270 k	China	Hangzhou
240 k	India	Vijayanagara

1300
430 k	China	Hangzhou
400 k	Egypt	Cairo
400 k	China	Khanbaliq
220 k	France	Paris
200 k	Japan	Kamakura
150 k	Morocco	Fez
150 k	China	Guangzhou

1000
400 k	China	Kaifeng
350 k	Spain	Córdoba
330 k	Turkey	Constantinople
200 k	Cambodia	Angkor
150 k	Iraq	Baghdad
150 k	Japan	Kyoto
150 k	Egypt	Cairo

700 AD
540 k	China	Chang'an
250 k	India	Kannauj
250 k	China	Luoyang
250 k	Syria	Damascus
180 k	Guatemala	El Pilar
150 k	Turkey	Constantinople
140 k	Belize	Caracol

400 AD
400 k	Turkey	Constantinople
300 k	Iraq	Ctesiphon
280 k	India	Pataliputra
200 k	China	Luoyang
150 k	Italy	Rome
150 k	Mexico	Teotihuacan
150 k	China	Jiankang

100 AD
560 k	Egypt	Alexandria
420 k	China	Luoyang
400 k	Iraq	Seleucia
400 k	Italy	Rome
250 k	China	Chengdu
240 k	China	Chang'an
200 k	Tunisia	Carthage

200 BC
600 k	Egypt	Alexandria
350 k	India	Pataliputra
200 k	Tunisia	Carthage
200 k	China	Luoyang
200 k	Iraq	Seleucia
200 k	Turkey	Pergamon
100 k	Pakistan	Taxila

500 BC
200 k	Iraq	Babylon
200 k	China	Luoyang
200 k	China	Linzi
100 k	Tunisia	Carthage
100 k	Italy	Syracuse
100 k	India	Rajgir
100 k	Belize	Caracol

800 BC
100 k	Egypt	Thebes
100 k	Iraq	Babylon
100 k	Egypt	Memphis
100 k	Belize	Caracol
100 k	Guatemala	Tikal
50 k	Iraq	Nineveh
50 k	Iraq	Nimrud

1800
1.1 m	China	Beijing
860 k	UK	London
800 k	China	Guangzhou
680 k	Japan	Edo
570 k	Turkey	Constantinople
540 k	France	Paris
430 k	Italy	Naples

1500
670 k	China	Beijing
500 k	India	Vijayanagara
400 k	Egypt	Cairo
250 k	China	Hangzhou
250 k	Iran	Tabriz
250 k	India	Gauda
250 k	Turkey	Constantinople

1200
250 k	China	Hangzhou
250 k	Turkey	Constantinople
200 k	Turkmen.	Merv
200 k	Morocco	Fez
200 k	Egypt	Cairo
180 k	Myanmar	Pagan
150 k	Spain	Seville

900
1.1 m	Iraq	Baghdad
300 k	Turkey	Constantinople
280 k	Iraq	Samarra
200 k	India	Kannauj
200 k	China	Kaifeng
170 k	Egypt	Alexandria
170 k	China	Chang'an

600 AD
500 k	Iraq	Ctesiphon
400 k	Turkey	Constantinople
200 k	China	Luoyang
200 k	China	Chang'an
150 k	Mexico	Teotihuacan
140 k	Belize	Caracol
140 k	Guatemala	El Pilar

300 AD
350 k	Italy	Rome
210 k	Egypt	Alexandria
200 k	China	Luoyang
200 k	India	Vaishali
160 k	Iraq	Ctesiphon
140 k	Mexico	Teotihuacan
140 k	Tunisia	Carthage

1 AD
400 k	Egypt	Alexandria
400 k	Iraq	Seleucia
260 k	China	Luoyang
250 k	China	Chengdu
240 k	China	Chang'an
200 k	Italy	Rome
150 k	Pakistan	Taxila

300 BC
400 k	Tunisia	Carthage
400 k	India	Pataliputra
350 k	China	Linzi
300 k	Egypt	Alexandria
250 k	China	Luoyang
200 k	Italy	Syracuse
200 k	China	Yiyang

600 BC
200 k	Iraq	Babylon
200 k	China	Luoyang
100 k	Egypt	Memphis
100 k	Belize	Caracol
100 k	Guatemala	Tikal
100 k	China	Linzi
100 k	Tunisia	Carthage

Level 67

Jan 3, 2023

Jiankang is today's Nanjing

Level 48

Jan 3, 2023

Somehow missed that, that's a typein now

Level 82

Jan 3, 2023

Gauda also known as Gaur.

Nice work, though.

Level 48

Jan 3, 2023

Thanks, added as a typein

Level 87

Jan 3, 2023

Could you accept Bagan for Pagan, please?

Level 48

Jan 6, 2023

Bagan now works

Level 81

Jan 5, 2023

Can you accept Mary for Merv?

Level 48

Jan 6, 2023

Mary now works

Level 78

Apr 13, 2024

Surprised to see no Chinese cities were in the top 7 for the 2000s

Level 61

Apr 16, 2024

Not even Tenochtitlan?

Level 48

Apr 18, 2024

Tenochtitlan's population isn't known exactly but it's estimated to be at least 200k, which falls short of Constantinople's 250k for 1500

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