Life in some of the world’s most densely populated cities

The UN's World Urbanization Prospects highlights a long shift to city living: in 1950 about 20% of people lived in cities, a share that has risen to 45% today, and the number of megacities climbed from eight in 1975 to 33 in 2025. Population totals do not always reflect crowding — for example, 42 million people in the Jakarta metro area are spread over more than 2,500 square miles.

Mumbai is India’s most densely populated city, with one figure putting density at about 10,500 people per square mile and the broader Greater Mumbai estimated at roughly 27,000 people per square kilometer (about 69,900 per square mile). The city is home to over 20 million residents and is in the midst of a housing crisis: average home prices run about 34 times the average annual income, higher than ratios in New York and Hong Kong.

India, Mumbai; Jakarta

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