Map Shows How DC Compares to World’s New Largest City

By Robert Birsel and John FengShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

The U.S. capital is tiny compared to many of the world's largest cities, a new report on urbanization around the globe shows.

Tokyo has lost its status as the world's largest city, with another sprawling Asian capital, the Indonesian metropolis of Jakarta, knocking it off the top spot, according to a report from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

This milestone marks the first time in decades that the Japanese capital has not been the most populous center on Earth, highlighting rapid urban growth in Asia and a changing landscape of megacities worldwide.

According to the U.N. report, nine of the 10 most populous cities in the world are in Asia.

Jakarta, with 41.9 million residents, is the largest. Dhaka, Bangladesh, follows with almost 36.5 million people. The Japanese capital, Tokyo, has fallen from the top spot to third, with 33.4 million people. The Indian capital, New Delhi, is fourth with just over 30.2 million people.

Urban U.S.

For the U.S., these findings offer important insights into future urbanization trends, infrastructure challenges and global economic shifts.

As the rate of population growth in Asian cities outpaces that in the U.S., cities in the United States and the rest of the Americas are falling down the ranking of the world's largest.

The figures are also a reminder of just how small Washington, D.C., is in comparison with Asian metropolises.

The U.N. measures population within an urbanized area, often beyond a city's administrative limits. It puts the population of Washington, D.C., at 3.27 million.

The U.S. Census Bureau, basing its calculation on a smaller city area excluding urban sprawl, says there are just over 702,000 people in the capital.

The biggest U.S. city is New York with 13.9 million people in 2025, according to the U.N. data, making it the 22nd biggest city in the world—down from 15th place in 2000.

Los Angeles has a population of 12.7 million, according to the U.N. calculations, making it the world's 27th largest city—down from 17th in 2000.

Sao Paulo, Brazil, is the biggest city in the Americas with a population of 18.9 million in 2025, making it the world's 13th biggest city—down from 10th in 2000, according to the U.N. data.

Mexico City is the second-biggest city in the Americas with 17.7 million people in 2025, making it the world's 15th biggest city—down from the 8th largest in 2000, according to the U.N. data.

Buenos Aires, Argentina, ranks third in the Americas for population and 21st in the world with 14.2 million people, one spot ahead of New York. Its position is down from 16th in 2000.

Chicago is the U.S.'s third-biggest city with 2.723 million people, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2024. Then comes Houston (2.39 million), Phoenix (1.67 million), Philadelphia (1.57 million), San Antonio (1.52 million), San Diego (1.4 million), Dallas (1.32 million) and Jacksonville (1 million).

The other mega cities in the world's top 10, according to U.N. data, are China's Shanghai (29.5 million) and Guangzhou (27.5 million); Cairo, Egypt's capital and the only non-Asian city in the top 10, with 25.5 million; the Philippine capital, Manila (24.7 million); India's Kolkata (22.5 million); and the South Korean capital, Seoul (22.4 million).