Global urban growth shifts: Ghaziabad fastest-growing, Jakarta most populous city

India’s Ghaziabad has become the world’s fastest-growing city with an annual population growth of 5.2%. In a list dominated by Asian and African cities, the world’s most populous city is Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, with a population of 41.9 million.

Data for 2026 published by World Population Review revealed that the majority of the world’s fastest-growing cities are located in Asia and Africa.

In the list compiled based on annual population growth rates, Ghaziabad, near India’s capital Delhi, ranked first with a 5.2% growth. Surat in India’s Gujarat state came second with 4.99%, and Afghanistan’s capital Kabul was third with 4.74%.

Nigeria’s Lagos took fourth place with a 4.44% increase, while Toluca in Mexico, with a 4.25% growth, was the only city outside Asia and Africa to enter the top 10.

CITIES WITH THE FASTEST POPULATION GROWTH

Other prominent cities based on annual growth rates included Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo with 4.1% and Uganda’s capital Kampala with 4.03%.

Angola’s capital Luanda, Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam, Kenya’s capital Nairobi, Mali’s capital Bamako, Patna, Rajkot, and Faridabad in India, and Mozambique’s capital Maputo also featured in the ranking with a 4% growth rate.

The ranking was compiled using data on city growth from the City Mayors Foundation and population estimates from the United Nations covering different periods.

POPULATION INCREASED BY 44% IN FIVE YEARS

When examining five-year population growth, Malappuram in India’s Kerala state ranked first with a 44% growth.

Can Tho in Vietnam and Suqian in China followed Malappuram with a 37% increase. Kozhikode in Kerala grew by 35%, Nigeria’s capital Abuja by 34%, and China’s Suzhou by 33%.

Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and Putian in China recorded a 32% increase, while Oman’s capital Muscat and Kollam in India grew by 31%.

Delhi topped the list of cities with the highest hourly population increase. Delhi was followed by Shanghai, Dhaka, Kinshasa, Chongqing, Lahore, Bengaluru, Lagos, Cairo, and Beijing.

JAKARTA BECOMES THE WORLD’S MOST POPULOUS CITY

The ranking of the world’s most populous cities also changed. Indonesia’s capital Jakarta moved to the top spot, surpassing Tokyo with a population of 41.9 million.

Tokyo’s population was estimated at 33.4 million, while Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka ranked second with 36.6 million. The United Nations projects that Dhaka could become the world’s largest city by 2050.