Just the Facts: World’s Million-People Cities

1. As of 2015, there are about 500 metropolitan areas around the world with a population of one million people or more.

2. Mainland China has 105 metropolitan areas with over a million people each.

3. China thus accounts for one-fifth of the global total of 501 million-plus cities – in line with its 19% share of the global population.

4. By 2030, it is projected that China will have 148 million-people cities, out of a worldwide total of 663.

5. Japan has only eight million-people cities. However, it has the world’s largest urban area, Tokyo, with 38 million people.

6. In the European Union’s 28 member countries, there are a total of 34 urban areas with populations of one million or more.

7. The EU has a just under 7% share of the world’s million-people cities – right in line with its share of the global population.

8. Almost three-quarters (74%) of Europe’s total population of 743 million people live in cities.

9. By comparison, close to half (48%) of Asia’s 4.4 billion people live in urban areas.

10. India has 58 metropolitan areas with a population of one million or more. The United States has 45 million-people metro areas, while Latin America has 67 million-plus cities.