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Urban area
Human settlement with high population density and infrastructure of built environment

An urban area is a human settlement with high population density and developed infrastructure, often forming the core of a metropolitan statistical area when its population exceeds 50,000. Urban areas arise through urbanization and include cities, towns, conurbations, and suburbs. In contrast to rural areas like villages and hamlets, urban areas are studied in urban sociology and anthropology often contrasting with the natural environment. Their origins trace back to the urban revolution of the 4th millennium BCE, which fueled civilization and modern urban planning, though human activities have significantly impacted the environment.

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Recent historical growth

In 1950, 764 million people or about 30 percent of the world's 2.5 billion people lived in urban areas. By 2014, it was 3.9 billion or about 53 percent of the world's 7.3 billion people that lived in urban areas. The change was driven by a combination of increased total population and increased percent of population living in urban areas.4 In 2009, the number of people living in urban areas (3.42 billion) surpassed the number living in rural areas (3.41 billion), and since then the world has become more urban than rural.5 This was the first time that the majority of the world's population lived in a city.6 By that time a high estimate calculated up to 3.5 million square kilometers of land were urban, estimates ranging from 1% of global land area.78 In 2014 there were 7.3 billion people living on the planet,9 of which the global urban population comprised 3.9 billion. The Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs at that time predicted the urban population would occupy 68% of the world population by 2050, with 90% of that growth coming from Africa and Asia.10

Urbanization

Main article: Urbanization

Urban areas are created and further developed by the process of urbanization. They are measured for various purposes, including analyzing population density and urban sprawl. Urban areas are generally found in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Japan, Australia, and many other countries where the urbanization rate is high.

Unlike an urban area, a metropolitan area includes not only the urban area, but also satellite cities plus intervening rural land that is socio-economically connected to the urban core city, typically by employment ties through commuting, with the urban core city being the primary labor market.

The concept of an "urban area" as used in economic statistics should not be confused with the concept of the "urban area" used in road safety statistics. This term was first created by Geographer Brian Manning. The last concept is also known as "built-up area in road safety". According to the definition by the Office for National Statistics, "Built-up areas are defined as land which is 'irreversibly urban in character', meaning that they are characteristic of a town or city. They include areas of built-up land with a minimum of 20 hectares (200,000 m2; 49 acres). Any areas [separated by] less than 200 metres [of non-urban space] are linked to become a single built-up area.11

Argentina and Japan are countries where the urbanization rate is over 90% while Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and the United States are countries where the urbanization rate is between 80% and 90%, although within the U.S. state of New Jersey, the urbanization rate is 100%.12

Largest urban areas

There are two measures of the degree of urbanization of a population. The first, urban population, describes the percentage of the total population living in urban areas, as defined by the country. The second measure, rate of urbanization, describes the projected average rate of change of the size of the urban population over the given period of time. According to Urbanization by sovereign state article, the world as a whole is 56.2% urbanized, with roughly one-quarter of the countries reported as greater than 80% urbanized. Data is taken from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook estimates from 2020.13

See also: List of largest cities, List of largest urban areas by country, and List of largest urban areas by continent

According to Demographia, these are the 200 largest urban areas in the world by population (as of 2023):14

Urban AreaCountry/ RegionPopulation
1Tokyo-YokohamaJapan37,785,000
2JakartaIndonesia35,386,000
3DelhiIndia31,190,000
4Guangzhou-FoshanChina27,119,000
5MumbaiIndia25,189,000
6ManilaPhilippines24,156,000
7ShanghaiChina24,042,000
8Seoul-IncheonSouth Korea23,225,000
9CairoEgypt22,679,000
10Mexico CityMexico21,905,000
11KolkataIndia21,747,000
12São PauloBrazil21,486,000
13New YorkUnited States21,396,000
14KarachiPakistan20,249,000
15DhakaBangladesh19,134,000
16BangkokThailand18,884,000
17BeijingChina18,883,000
18MoscowRussia17,878,000
19ShenzhenChina17,778,000
20Buenos AiresArgentina15,748,000
21Los AngelesUnited States15,587,000
22Johannesburg-PretoriaSouth Africa15,551,000
23BangaloreIndia15,257,000
24ChengduChina15,016,000
25Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam14,953,000
26Osaka-Kobe-KyotoJapan14,916,000
27LagosNigeria14,540,000
28IstanbulTurkey14,441,000
29LahorePakistan13,504,000
30KinshasaDemocratic Republic of the Congo13,493,000
31TehranIran13,382,000
32ChongqingChina12,653,000
33Rio de JaneiroBrazil12,306,000
34Xi'anChina12,211,000
35ChennaiIndia12,053,697
36ParisFrance11,108,000
37ZhengzhouChina11,068,000
38LuandaAngola10,914,000
39LondonUnited Kingdom10,803,000
40DongguanChina10,753,000
41LimaPeru10,556,000
42WuhanChina10,353,000
43BogotaColombia10,252,000
44TianjinChina10,047,000
45HyderabadIndia9,797,000
46TaipeiTaiwan9,662,000
47HangzhouChina9,618,000
48NagoyaJapan9,439,000
49Kuala LumpurMalaysia9,387,000
50ChicagoUnited States8,954,000
51NanjingChina8,507,000
52RiyadhSaudi Arabia8,309,000
53Shenyang-FushunChina8,044,000
54AhmadabadIndia8,006,000
55Dar es SalaamTanzania7,965,000
56Washington-BaltimoreUnited States7,853,000
57Boston-ProvidenceUnited States7,429,000
58OnitshaNigeria7,205,000
59BandungIndonesia7,203,000
60Addis AbabaEthiopia7,185,000
61KhartoumSudan7,155,000
62SantiagoChile7,099,000
63Dallas-Fort WorthUnited States6,979,000
64NairobiKenya6,929,000
65San Francisco-San JoseUnited States6,844,000
66TorontoCanada6,837,000
67PuneIndia6,819,000
68MadridSpain6,798,000
69Essen-DüsseldorfGermany6,769,000
70QuanzhouChina6,743,000
71HoustonUnited States6,703,000
72BaghdadIraq6,624,000
73SuratIndia6,601,000
74AmmanJordan6,563,000
75SurabayaIndonesia6,556,000
76Hong KongHong Kong SAR6,468,000
77YangonMyanmar6,426,000
78HanoiVietnam6,359,000
79QingdaoChina6,291,000
80MiamiUnited States6,139,000
81SuzhouChina6,091,000
82SingaporeSingapore5,926,000
83PhiladelphiaUnited States5,795,000
84AccraGhana5,785,000
85St. PetersburgRussia5,750,000
86AtlantaUnited States5,702,000
87AbidjanIvory Coast5,678,000
88KabulAfghanistan5,566,000
89AlexandriaEgypt5,552,000
90MilanItaly5,471,000
91JiddahSaudi Arabia5,408,000
92AnkaraTurkey5,359,000
93FaisalabadPakistan5,356,000
94BarcelonaSpain5,317,000
95XiamenChina5,253,000
96Belo HorizonteBrazil5,242,000
97TaiyuanChina5,067,000
98ChangshaChina5,065,000
99HefeiChina5,052,000
100MashhadIran5,045,000
101KunmingChina4,995,000
102Rawalpindi-IslamabadPakistan4,954,000
103DubaiUnited Arab Emirates4,945,000
104SydneyAustralia4,836,000
105KumasiGhana4,794,000
106MelbourneAustralia4,709,000
107KampalaUganda4,679,000
108MonterreyMexico4,674,000
109KanoNigeria4,670,000
110LucknowIndia4,661,000
111YaoundeCameroon4,642,000
112PhoenixUnited States4,617,000
113Cape TownSouth Africa4,595,000
114ÜrümqiChina4,548,000
115WuxiChina4,524,000
116CasablancaMorocco4,499,000
117FuzhouChina4,487,000
118GuadalajaraMexico4,401,000
119İzmirTurkey4,367,251
120JaipurIndia4,360,000
121KanpurIndia4,350,000
122Santo DomingoDominican Republic4,345,000
123BerlinGermany4,286,000
124GuiyangChina4,269,000
125DetroitUnited States4,258,000
126NanchangChina4,240,000
127MogadishuSomalia4,219,000
128ChangzhouChina4,206,000
129ChittagongBangladesh4,204,000
130DalianChina4,177,000
131ZhongshanChina4,113,000
132KuwaitKuwait4,066,000
133JinanChina4,057,000
134MedanIndonesia4,027,000
135WenzhouChina4,024,000
136SeattleUnited States4,001,000
137TashkentUzbekistan3,935,000
138ShijiazhuangChina3,871,000
139HarbinChina3,869,000
140RecifeBrazil3,866,000
141BusanSouth Korea3,843,000
142BamakoMali3,783,000
143IndoreIndia3,765,000
144DoualaCameroon3,751,000
145MontrealCanada3,750,000
146IbadanNigeria3,657,000
147NaplesItaly3,653,000
148SanaYemen3,585,000
149ColomboSri Lanka3,532,000
150DakarSenegal3,510,000
151Porto AlegreBrazil3,504,000
152Mbuji-MayiDemocratic Republic of the Congo3,493,000
153NagpurIndia3,493,000
154AlgiersAlgeria3,462,000
155DurbanSouth Africa3,452,000
156Port HarcourtNigeria3,429,000
157FortalezaBrazil3,415,000
158BrasiliaBrazil3,406,000
159ChangchunChina3,387,000
160SalvadorBrazil3,344,000
161PatnaIndia3,331,000
162AthensGreece3,309,000
163NanningChina3,249,000
164KathmanduNepal3,247,000
165MedellinColombia3,242,000
166RomeItaly3,239,000
167VaranasiIndia3,229,000
168GujranwalaPakistan3,218,000
169Tampa-St. PetersburgUnited States3,203,000
170LusakaZambia3,202,000
171GuayaquilEcuador3,183,000
172OuagadougouBurkina Faso3,181,000
173DamascusSyria3,155,000
174San DiegoUnited States3,078,000
175OrlandoUnited States3,075,000
176KozhikodeIndia3,049,000
177Brisbane-Gold CoastAustralia3,039,000
178Rotterdam-HagueNetherlands3,027,000
179Tel AvivIsrael3,006,000
180BakuAzerbaijan3,002,000
181KyivUkraine3,001,000
182Ad-DammamSaudi Arabia2,994,000
183LanzhouChina2,977,000
184CharlotteUnited States2,879,000
185CuritibaBrazil2,873,000
186ClevelandUnited States2,871,000
187BrazzavilleRepublic of the Congo2,860,000
188AleppoSyria2,859,000
189ThiruvananthapuramIndia2,851,000
190LisbonPortugal2,832,000
191Minneapolis-St. PaulUnited States2,796,000
192CampinasBrazil2,789,000
193HyderabadPakistan2,789,000
194MultanPakistan2,783,000
195ConakryGuinea2,781,000
196QuitoEcuador2,778,000
197ZhangjiaggangChina2,770,000
198Guatemala CityGuatemala2,765,000
199LubumbashiDemocratic Republic of the Congo2,750,000
200AgraIndia2,737,000

Definitions

Presently, urban data are based on arbitrary definitions that vary from country to country and from year or census to the next, making them difficult to compare. An Urban Metric System (UMS) has been conceived that could correct the problem,15 since it allows computing the urban area limits and central points, and it can be applied in the same way to all past, present and future population and job distributions. It is based on vector field calculations obtained by assuming that, in a given space, all inhabitants and jobs exert the same attractive force A and repulsive force R. The net force (A - R) exerted by each inhabitant or job is given by [1/(1 + d)] - [1/( β + d/2)], where d = distance and β is the only parameter. UMS distinguishes the following types of urban areas, each type corresponding to a given value of β:

Urban areaDistance at which the attractive force = the repulsive forceValue of β
1Central city10 km6
2Agglomeration20 km11
3Metropolis40 km21
4Patropolis80 km41
5Megalopolis160 km81
6Urban system320 km161
7Urban macrosystem640 km321
8Continental system1,280 km641
9Intercontinental system2,560 km1,281
10World system5,120 km2,561

UMS has been applied to some Canadian cases since 2018, but the data presented in this article are still based on the various existing national definitions, which are disparate.

The UN publishes data on cities, urban areas and rural areas, but relies almost entirely on national definitions of these areas. The UN principles and recommendations state that due to different characteristics of urban and rural areas across the globe, a global definition is not possible.16

European countries[which?] define urbanized areas on the basis of urban-type land use, not allowing any gaps of typically more than 200 metres (220 yd), and use satellite imagery instead of census blocks to determine the boundaries of the urban area. In less-developed countries[which?], in addition to land use and density requirements, a requirement that a large majority of the population, typically 75%, is not engaged in agriculture and/or fishing is sometimes used.

By region

East Asia

China

Main article: List of cities in China by population and built-up area

Since 2000, China's cities have expanded at an average rate of 10% annually. It is estimated that China's urban population will increase by 292 million people by 2050,17 when its cities will house a combined population of over one billion.18 The country's urbanization rate increased from 17.4% to 46.6% between 1978 and 2009.19 Between 150 and 200 million migrant workers work part-time in the major cities, returning home to the countryside periodically with their earnings.2021

China has more cities with one million or more long-term residents than any other country, including the three global cities of Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai; by 2025, the country will be home to 221 cities with over a million inhabitants.22 The figures in the table below are from the 2008 census, and are only estimates of the urban populations within administrative city limits; a different ranking exists when considering the total municipal populations (which includes suburban and rural populations). The large "floating populations" of migrant workers make conducting censuses in urban areas difficult;23 the figures below include only long-term residents.

Panoramic view of Pudong's skyline from the Bund in Shanghai
 
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Largest cities or municipalities in ChinaChina Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2020 Urban Population and Urban Temporary Population 242526
RankNameProvincePop.RankNameProvincePop.
ShanghaiBeijing1ShanghaiSH24,281,40011Hong KongHK7,448,900GuangzhouShenzhen
2BeijingBJ19,164,00012ZhengzhouHA7,179,400
3GuangzhouGD13,858,70013NanjingJS6,823,500
4ShenzhenGD13,438,80014Xi'anSN6,642,100
5TianjinTJ11,744,40015JinanSD6,409,600
6ChongqingCQ11,488,00016ShenyangLN5,900,000
7DongguanGD9,752,50017QingdaoSD5,501,400
8ChengduSC8,875,60018HarbinHL5,054,500
9WuhanHB8,652,90019HefeiAH4,750,100
10HangzhouZJ8,109,00020ChangchunJL4,730,900

Japan

In Japan, urbanized areas are defined as contiguous areas of densely inhabited districts (DIDs) using census enumeration districts as units with a density requirement of 4,000 inhabitants per square kilometre (10,000/sq mi).

South Korea

Seoul is the largest urban area in South Korea.

Taiwan

Greater Taipei is the largest urban area in Taiwan.

 
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Largest cities or towns in Taiwansource
RankNameAdministrative divisionPop.RankNameAdministrative divisionPop.
New TaipeiTaichung1New TaipeiNew Taipei4,004,36711Zhubei CityHsinchu County210,754KaohsiungTaipei
2TaichungTaichung2,819,79812Pingtung CityPingtung County194,096
3KaohsiungKaohsiung2,731,63513Yuanlin CityChanghua County122,518
4TaipeiTaipei2,488,04314Douliu CityYunlin County107,928
5Taoyuan CityTaoyuan City2,286,94215ToufenMiaoli County105,513
6TainanTainan1,855,09216Taitung CityTaitung County103,323
7Hsinchu CityHsinchu452,92817Hualien CityHualien County99,579
8KeelungKeelung361,89118Nantou CityNantou County97,403
9Chiayi CityChiayi263,18819CaotunNantou County96,778
10Changhua CityChanghua County226,74420ZhudongHsinchu County96,464

South Asia

India

Main articles: Urbanisation in India and List of cities in India by population

For the Census of India 2011, the definition of urban area is a place having a minimum population of 5,000 of density 400 persons per square kilometre (1,000/sq mi) or higher, and 75% plus of the male working population employed in non-agricultural activities. Places administered by a municipal corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee are automatically considered urban areas.27

The Census of India 2011 also defined the term "urban agglomeration" as an integrated urban area consisting of a core town together with its "outgrowths" (contiguous suburbs).28

Pakistan

Main articles: Urbanisation in Pakistan and List of most populous cities in Pakistan

In Pakistan, an area is a major city and municipality if it has more than 100,000 inhabitants according to census results. Cities include adjacent cantonments. Urbanisation in Pakistan has increased since the time of independence and has several different causes. The majority of southern Pakistan's population lives along the Indus River. Karachi is its most populous city.29 In the northern half of the country, most of the population lives in an arc formed by the cities of Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat, Jhelum, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Nowshera, Mardan and Peshawar. During 1990–2008, city dwellers made up 36% of Pakistan's population, making it the most urbanised nation in South Asia. Furthermore, 50% of Pakistanis live in towns of 5,000 people or more.30 Karachi is the most populated city in Pakistan closely followed by Lahore according to the 2017 Census.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, there are total 532 urban areas, which are divided into three categories. Those are City Corporation, Municipal Corporation (Pourasova) and Upazila town. Among those urban areas, Dhaka is the largest city by population and area, with a population of 19.10 million.31 In Bangladesh, there are total 11 City Corporations and 329 Municipal Corporations and 203 Small towns, which serves as the center for Upazilas. According to 2011 population census, Bangladesh has an urban population of 28%, with a growth rate of 2.8%.32 At this growth rate, it is estimated that the urban population of Bangladesh will reach 79 million or 42% of total population by 2035.

Southeast Asia

Philippines

In 2020, 54 percent of the Philippine population lived in urban areas.33 With an estimated population of 16.3 million, Metro Manila is the most populous metropolitan area in the Philippines and the 11th in the world. However, the greater urban area is the 5th largest in the world with a population of 20,654,307 people (2010 estimate).34

Singapore

Further information: Geography of Singapore and Planning Areas of Singapore

As an island city-state, about 5.6 million people live and work within 700 square kilometres (270 sq mi). With 64 islands and islets, Singapore Island makes up the largest urban area in the country. According to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the country has the highest urbanised population in Southeast Asia, with 100 percent of its population living in an urban area.35 The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is responsible for the urban land-use planning, which designates land use and urban density of the country.36 The country is divided into 5 regions for planning purposes by the URA, even though as a city state Singapore is defined as a single continuous urban area. It is further subdivided into 55 urban planning areas, which acts as the boundaries of planned towns within the country.37

Vietnam

In Vietnam, there are six types of urban areas:

Thailand

Bangkok is the largest urban area in Thailand.

Europe

Finland

Main articles: Urban areas in Finland and List of urban areas in Finland by population

As in other Nordic countries, an urban area (taajama in Finnish) in Finland must have a building at least every 200 m (660 ft) and at least 200 people. To be considered a town or a city (kaupunki) for statistical purposes, an urban area must have at least 15,000 people. This is not to be confused with the city / town designation used by municipalities.3839

France

Main article: Functional area (France)

In France, an urban area (Fr: aire d'attraction d'une ville) is a zone encompassing an area of built-up growth (called an "urban unit" (unité urbaine)40 – close in definition to the North American urban area) and its commuter belt (couronne). Americans would find the INSEE definition of the urban area41 to be similar to their metropolitan area.

The largest cities in France, in terms of urban area population (2017), are Paris (12,628,266), Lyon (2,323,221), Marseille (1,760,653), Toulouse (1,360,829), Bordeaux (1,247,977), Lille (1,191,117), Nice (1,006,201), Nantes (972,828), Strasbourg (790,087) and Rennes (733,320).42

Panorama of Paris as seen from the Eiffel Tower as full 360-degree view (river flowing from north-east to south-west, right to left)

Germany

Germany has a number of large cities. The largest conurbation is the Rhine-Ruhr region (11 million in 2008[update]), including Düsseldorf (the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia), Cologne, Bonn, Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, and Bochum.43

 
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Largest urban agglomerations in GermanyFederal Statistical Office of Germany (31 December 2022)
RankNameState Pop.RankNameState Pop.
Rhine-RuhrBerlin1Rhine-RuhrNorth Rhine-Westphalia11,199,07311ChemnitzSaxony867,051Rhine-MainStuttgart
2BerlinBerlin4,661,92512HanoverLower Saxony807,181
3Rhine-MainHesse3,200,20113DresdenSaxony799,317
4StuttgartBaden-Württemberg3,044,42814SaarSaarland762,791
5MunichBavaria2,415,96415BremenBremen668,074
6HamburgHamburg2,399,25016AachenNorth Rhine-Westphalia663,371
7Rhine-NeckarBaden-Württemberg1,426,05617KarlsruheBaden-Württemberg612,031
8NurembergBavaria1,247,30918AugsburgBavaria554,118
9LeipzigSaxony1,068,42919Freiburg im BreisgauBaden-Württemberg339,767
10BielefeldNorth Rhine-Westphalia941,93320KasselHesse335,358

Netherlands

The Netherlands is the 30th-most densely populated country in the world, with 404.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,048/sq mi)—or 497 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,287/sq mi) if only the land area is counted. The Randstad is the country's largest conurbation located in the west of the country and contains the four largest cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht. The Randstad has a population of 7 million inhabitants and is the 6th largest metropolitan area in Europe.

Norway

Main article: List of urban areas in Norway by population

Norway defines urban areas ("tettsteder") similarly to the other Nordic countries. Unlike in Denmark and Sweden, the distance between each building has to be of less than 50 m, although exceptions are made due to parks, industrial areas, rivers, and similar. Groups of houses less than 400 m from the main body of an urban area are included in the urban area.44

Poland

In Poland, official "urban" population figures simply refer to those localities which have the status of towns (miasta). The "rural" population is that of all areas outside the boundaries of these towns. This distinction may give a misleading impression in some cases, since some localities with only village status may have acquired larger and denser populations than many many smaller towns45 with most excessive example of Poznań, most spread urban area of the country with population of the city app. 534 thousand and metropolitan area around 1 million inhabitants. On the other hand, the Katowice urban area with numerous large and medium cities covers 1,468 km and has above 2 million people. The metropolitan areas in Poland are the biggest urban zones (e.g. Katowice metropolitan area, Łódź metropolitan area and Szczecin metropolitan area) and have great impact on the rural surroundings, as it is around Lublin, Radom, Kielce, Tarnów and Białystok.

Russia

Moscow, the capital and largest city of Russia, has a population estimated at 12.4 million residents within the city limits,46 while over 17 million residents in the urban area,47 and over 20 million residents in the Moscow Metropolitan Area.48 It is among the world's largest cities, being the most populous city entirely within Europe, the most populous urban area in Europe,49 the most populous metropolitan area in Europe,50 and also the largest city by land area on the European continent.51 Saint Petersburg, the cultural capital, is the second-largest city, with a population of roughly 5.4 million inhabitants.52 Other major urban areas are Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Chelyabinsk.

 
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Largest cities or towns in Russia2024 estimate53
RankNameFederal subjectPop.RankNameFederal subjectPop.
MoscowSaint Petersburg1MoscowMoscow13,149,80311Rostov-on-DonRostov Oblast1,140,487NovosibirskYekaterinburg
2Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg5,597,76312KrasnodarKrasnodar Krai1,138,654
3NovosibirskNovosibirsk Oblast1,633,85113OmskOmsk Oblast1,104,485
4YekaterinburgSverdlovsk Oblast1,536,18314VoronezhVoronezh Oblast1,046,425
5KazanTatarstan1,318,60415PermPerm Krai1,026,908
6KrasnoyarskKrasnoyarsk Krai1,205,47316VolgogradVolgograd Oblast1,018,898
7Nizhny NovgorodNizhny Novgorod Oblast1,204,98517SaratovSaratov Oblast887,365
8ChelyabinskChelyabinsk Oblast1,177,05818TyumenTyumen Oblast861,098
9UfaBashkortostan1,163,30419TolyattiSamara Oblast667,956
10SamaraSamara Oblast1,158,95220MakhachkalaDagestan622,091

Spain

Spain is a very highly urbanized country. Madrid is its largest urban area. The Southern and Eastern coasts with Barcelona, Valencia and Málaga are more urbanised than the Northern and Western ones.

Sweden

Main article: List of urban areas in Sweden by population

Urban areas in Sweden (tätorter) are statistically defined localities, totally independent of the administrative subdivision of the country. There are 1,956 such localities in Sweden, with a population ranging from 200 to 1,372,000 inhabitants.54

United Kingdom

Main article: List of urban areas in the United Kingdom

In 2013 the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics (ONS) published 2011 Built-up Areas – Methodology and Guidance which sets out its definition of a Built-up area (BUA) as an area of built-up land of at least 20 hectares (0.077 sq mi), separated from other settlements by at least 200 metres (660 ft). For 2011 census data there are 5,493 built-up areas, of which 501 are divided into Built-up area sub-divisions (BUASD) for which data is also available. Each built-up area is named algorithmically, using Ordnance Survey place-name data.55

The ONS has produced census results from urban areas since 1951, since 1981 based upon the extent of irreversible urban development indicated on Ordnance Survey maps. The definition is an extent of at least 20 ha and at least 1,500 census residents. Separate areas are linked if less than 200 m (220 yd) apart. Included are transportation features.56 The UK has five Urban Areas with a population over a million and a further sixty nine with a population over one hundred thousand.

 
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Largest urban areas of the United Kingdom(England and Wales: 2011 census built-up area;57 Scotland: 2016 estimates settlement;58 Northern Ireland: 2001 census urban area)59
RankUrban area Pop.Principal settlementRankUrban area Pop.Principal settlement
1Greater London9,787,426London11Bristol617,280Bristol
2Greater Manchester2,553,379Manchester12Edinburgh512,150Edinburgh
3West Midlands2,440,986Birmingham13Leicester508,916Leicester
4West Yorkshire1,777,934Leeds14Belfast483,418Belfast
5Greater Glasgow985,290Glasgow15 Brighton & Hove474,485Brighton
6Liverpool864,122Liverpool16 South East Dorset466,266Bournemouth
7South Hampshire855,569Southampton17 Cardiff390,214Cardiff
8Tyneside774,891Newcastle upon Tyne18Teesside376,633Middlesbrough
9Nottingham729,977Nottingham19Stoke-on-Trent372,775Stoke-on-Trent
10Sheffield685,368Sheffield20 Coventry359,262Coventry

Oceania

Australia

The Australian Bureau of Statistics refers to urban areas as Urban Centres, which it generally defines as population clusters of 1,000 or more people.60 Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world, with more than 50% of the population residing in Australia's three biggest urban centres.61

Sydney is Australia's largest city, home to 5.3 million inhabitants.62
 
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Largest populated areas in Australia2021 data from Australian Bureau of Statistics63
RankNameState Pop.RankNameState Pop.
SydneyMelbourne1SydneyNSW5,259,76411GeelongVic289,400BrisbanePerth
2MelbourneVic4,976,15712HobartTas251,047
3BrisbaneQld2,568,92713TownsvilleQld181,665
4PerthWA2,192,22914CairnsQld155,638
5AdelaideSA1,402,39315DarwinNT148,801
6Gold Coast–Tweed HeadsQld/NSW706,67316ToowoombaQld143,994
7Newcastle–MaitlandNSW509,89417BallaratVic111,702
8Canberra–QueanbeyanACT/NSW482,25018BendigoVic102,899
9Sunshine CoastQld355,63119Albury-WodongaNSW/Vic97,676
10WollongongNSW305,88020LauncestonTas93,332

New Zealand

Main article: Urban areas of New Zealand

Statistics New Zealand defines urban areas in New Zealand, which are independent of any administrative subdivisions and have no legal basis.64 There are four classes of urban area: major urban areas (population 100,000+), large urban areas (population 30,000–99,999), medium urban areas (population 10,000–29,999) and small urban areas (population 1,000–9,999). As of 2021, there are 7 major urban areas, 13 large urban areas, 22 medium urban areas and 136 small urban areas. Urban areas are reclassified after each New Zealand census, so population changes between censuses does not change an urban area's classification.

 
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Largest cities or towns in New ZealandStatistics New Zealand June 2024 estimate (SSGA18 boundaries)65
RankNameRegion Pop.RankNameRegion Pop.
AucklandChristchurch1AucklandAuckland1,531,40011PoriruaWellington60,600WellingtonHamilton
2ChristchurchCanterbury403,30012New PlymouthTaranaki60,100
3WellingtonWellington214,20013RotoruaBay of Plenty58,800
4HamiltonWaikato192,00014WhangāreiNorthland56,800
5TaurangaBay of Plenty162,80015NelsonNelson51,300
6Lower HuttWellington114,50016HastingsHawke's Bay52,200
7DunedinOtago106,70017InvercargillSouthland51,700
8Palmerston NorthManawatū-Whanganui83,10018Upper HuttWellington45,000
9NapierHawke's Bay67,50019WhanganuiManawatū-Whanganui42,500
10Hibiscus CoastAuckland67,80020GisborneGisborne38,800

North America

Canada

Main article: List of the largest population centres in Canada

According to Statistics Canada, an urban area in Canada is an area with a population of at least 1,000 people where the density is no fewer than 400 persons per square kilometre (1,000/sq mi).66 If two or more urban areas are within 2 km (1.2 mi) of each other by road, they are merged into a single urban area, provided they do not cross census metropolitan area or census agglomeration boundaries.67

In the Canada 2011 Census, Statistics Canada redesignated urban areas with the new term "population centre";68 the new term was chosen in order to better reflect the fact that urban vs. rural is not a strict division, but rather a continuum within which several distinct settlement patterns may exist. For example, a community may fit a strictly statistical definition of an urban area, but may not be commonly thought of as "urban" because it has a smaller population, or functions socially and economically as a suburb of another urban area rather than as a self-contained urban entity, or is geographically remote from other urban communities. Accordingly, the new definition set out three distinct types of population centres: small (population 1,000 to 29,999), medium (population 30,000 to 99,999) and large (population 100,000 or greater).69 Despite the change in terminology, however, the demographic definition of a population centre remains unchanged from that of an urban area: a population of at least 1,000 people where the density is no fewer than 400 persons per km2.

 
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Largest metropolitan areas in Canada2021 Canadian census70
RankNameProvince Pop.RankNameProvince Pop.
1TorontoOntario6,202,22511LondonOntario543,551
2MontrealQuebec4,291,73212HalifaxNova Scotia465,703
3VancouverBritish Columbia2,642,82513Niagara RegionOntario433,604
4Ottawa–GatineauOntario–Quebec1,488,30714WindsorOntario422,630
5CalgaryAlberta1,481,80615OshawaOntario415,311
6EdmontonAlberta1,418,11816VictoriaBritish Columbia397,237
7Quebec CityQuebec839,31117SaskatoonSaskatchewan317,480
8WinnipegManitoba834,67818ReginaSaskatchewan249,217
9HamiltonOntario785,18419SherbrookeQuebec227,398
10Waterloo RegionOntario575,84720KelownaBritish Columbia222,162

Mexico

Mexico is one of many countries where the urbanization rate is at least 80%. Mexico City, its capital, is the largest urban area in the country.

United States

Main article: List of United States urban areas

In the United States, the Census Bureau defines urban areas and delineates urban area boundaries after each census. The Bureau defines an urban area as "a statistical geographic entity consisting of a densely settled core created from census blocks and contiguous qualifying territory that together have at least 2,000 housing units or 5,000 persons."71 There were 2,646 urban areas identified by the Census Bureau for 2020. 511 of these had a population of 50,000 or more.72

For the 2000 and 2010 censuses, the Census Bureau differentiated between two kinds of urban areas: urbanized areas and urban clusters. The term urbanized area denoted an urban area of 50,000 or more people. Urban areas under 50,000 people were called urban clusters. Urbanized areas were first delineated in the United States in the 1950 census, while urban clusters were added in the 2000 census. The distinction between urbanized areas and urban clusters was removed for the 2020 census.73

Urban areas consist of a densely-settled urban core, plus surrounding developed areas that meet certain density criteria. Since urban areas are composed of census blocks and not cities, counties, or county-equivalents, urban area boundaries may consist of partial areas of these political units. Urban areas are distinguished from rural areas: any area not part of an urban area is considered to be rural by the Census Bureau.74

The largest urban area in the United States is that of New York City and its surrounding suburbs. The New York–Jersey City–Newark, NY–NJ urban area had a population of 19,426,449 as of 2020, while the larger metropolitan area had a population of 20,140,470, and the combined statistical area had a population of 23,582,649. The next five largest urban areas in the U.S. are those of Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Houston, and Dallas.75 80.0 percent of the population of the United States lives within the boundaries of an urban area as of the 2020 census.76

The skyscrapers of New York City, the most populous city in the United States and the most populous U.S. metropolitan area, are almost all situated in Manhattan, the world's largest central business district, seen here in this panorama in February 2018, as viewed from Weehawken, New Jersey.
  1. Riverside Church
  2. Time Warner Center
  3. 220 Central Park South
  4. Central Park Tower
  5. One57
  6. 432 Park Avenue
  7. 53W53
  8. Chrysler Building
  9. Bank of America Tower
  10. Conde Nast Building
  11. The New York Times Building
  12. Empire State Building
  13. Manhattan West
  14. a: 55 Hudson Yards, b: 35 Hudson Yards, c: 10 Hudson Yards, d: 15 Hudson Yards
  15. 56 Leonard Street
  16. 8 Spruce Street
  17. Woolworth Building
  18. 70 Pine Street
  19. 30 Park Place
  20. 40 Wall Street
  21. Three World Trade Center
  22. Four World Trade Center
  23. One World Trade Center

The concept of Urbanized Areas as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau is often used as a more accurate gauge of the size of a city, since in different cities and states the lines between city borders and the urbanized area of that city are often not the same. For example, the city of Greenville, South Carolina has a city population just over 68,000 and an urbanized area population of around 400,000, while Greensboro, North Carolina has a city population just over 285,000 and an urbanized area population of around 300,000 — meaning that Greenville is actually "larger" for some intents and purposes, but not for others, such as taxation, local elections, etc.

In the U.S. Department of Agriculture's natural resources inventory, urban areas are officially known as developed areas or urban and built-up areas. Such areas include cities, ethnic villages, other built-up areas of more than 10 ac (4 ha), industrial sites, railroad yards, cemeteries, airports, golf courses, shooting ranges, institutional and public administration sites, and similar areas. The 1997 national resources inventory placed over 98,000,000 ac (40,000,000 ha) in this category, an increase of 25,000,000 ac (10,000,000 ha) since 1982.77

South America

Argentina

Argentina is highly urbanized.78 The ten largest metropolitan areas account for half of the population, and fewer than one in ten live in rural areas. About 3 million people live in Buenos Aires City and the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area totals around 15 million, making it one of the largest urban areas in the world, with a population of 18 million all up.79

Córdoba has around 1.5 million people living in the urban area, while Rosario, Mendoza and Tucumán have around 1.2 million inhabitants each80 and La Plata, Mar del Plata, Salta and Santa Fe8182 have at least 500,000 people each.

Brazil

The following paragraph is an excerpt from List of metropolitan areas in Brazil § Definitions.[edit]

In Brazil, the terms metropolitan area (Portuguese: região metropolitana) and urban agglomeration (aglomeração urbana) have specific meanings. They are defined by federal and state legislation as collections of municipalities focused on "integrating the organization, planning and execution of public functions of common interest".83 An integrated development area (região integrada de desenvolvimento) is one of the two above structures that crosses state (or Federal District) boundaries. Skyline of São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil
 
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Largest urban agglomerations in Brazil2017 Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics estimates848586
RankNameStatePop.RankNameStatePop.
São PauloRio de Janeiro1São PauloSão Paulo21,314,71611BelémPará2,157,180
2Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro12,389,77512ManausAmazonas2,130,264
3Belo HorizonteMinas Gerais5,142,26013CampinasSão Paulo2,105,600
4RecifePernambuco4,021,64114VitóriaEspírito Santo1,837,047
5BrasíliaFederal District3,986,42515Baixada SantistaSão Paulo1,702,343
6Porto AlegreRio Grande do Sul3,894,23216São José dos CamposSão Paulo1,572,943
7SalvadorBahia3,863,15417São LuísMaranhão1,421,569
8FortalezaCeará3,594,92418NatalRio Grande do Norte1,349,743
9CuritibaParaná3,387,98519MaceióAlagoas1,231,965
10GoiâniaGoiás2,347,55720João PessoaParaíba1,168,941

Chile

Chile is highly urbanized. The largest urban area in the country is its capital, Santiago.

See also

Notes

References

  1. Also known as a built-up area or urban agglomeration. ↩

  2. "Federal Register/Vol. 75, No. 123/Monday, June 28, 2010/Notices" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 22, 2023. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2010-06-28/pdf/2010-15605.pdf ↩

  3. Morris, A.E.J. (2 December 2013) [1972]. "The Early Cities". History of Urban Form Before the Industrial Revolution (3 ed.). London: Routledge. p. 1. ISBN 9781317885146. [...] the Bronze Age, starting between 3500 and 3000 BC [...]. During this [...] period the first urban civilizations were firmly established. 9781317885146 ↩

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  5. "United Nations Population Division – Department of Economic and Social Affairs". https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/urbanization/urban-rural.shtml ↩

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  16. Dijkstra, Lewis; Poelman, Hugo (2014). "A harmonised definition of cities and rural areas: the new degree of urbanisation" (PDF). Regional Working Paper. Europa Commission. Retrieved 28 December 2023. https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/work/2014_01_new_urban.pdf ↩

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  20. Harney, Alexandra (3 February 2008). "Migrants are China's 'factories without smoke'". CNN. Retrieved 27 March 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/02/01/china.migrants/index.html ↩

  21. Tschang, Chi-Chu (4 February 2009). "A Tough New Year for China's Migrant Workers". Business Week. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090208012238/http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/feb2009/gb2009024_357998.htm ↩

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  24. Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People's Republic of China(MOHURD) (2021). 中国城市建设统计年鉴2020 [China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2018] (in Chinese). Beijing: China Statistic Publishing House. /wiki/Ministry_of_Housing_and_Urban-Rural_Development ↩

  25. Population of Hong Kong as of 2018 estimate[24] /wiki/Hong_Kong ↩

  26. The data of Chongqing in the list is the data of "Metropolitan Developed Economic Area", which contains two parts: "City Proper" and "Metropolitan Area". The "City proper" are consist of 9 districts: Yuzhong, Dadukou, Jiangbei, Shapingba, Jiulongpo, Nan'an, Beibei, Yubei, & Banan, has the urban population of 5,646,300 as of 2018. And the "Metropolitan Area" are consist of 12 districts: Fuling, Changshou, Jiangjin, Hechuan, Yongchuan, Nanchuan, Qijiang, Dazu, Bishan, Tongliang, Tongnan, & Rongchang, has the urban population of 5,841,700.[25] Total urban population of all 26 districts of Chongqing are up to 15,076,600. /wiki/Yuzhong_District ↩

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  30. Jason Burke (17 August 2008). "Pakistan looks to life without the general". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 May 2010. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/17/pakistan ↩

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  32. Population and Housing Census 2011 – Volume 3: Urban Area Report (PDF), Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Aug 2014 http://203.112.218.65:8008/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/National%20Reports/Population%20%20Housing%20Census%202011.pdf ↩

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