50 Largest Cities in the World

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50. St Petersburg, Russia
> City population: 5,323,000
> Country population: 142,122,776
> Pct. of Russia’s population: 3.7%

Russia’s second largest city after Moscow, this cultural and business capital boasts an unemployment rate of only 1.1%. St Petersburg owes its population growth not only to newcomers from elsewhere in the country and abroad, but also to the fact that the city’s fertility rate has almost doubled over the past 20 years.

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49. Suzhou, China
> City population: 5,468,000
> Country population: 1,384,688,986
> Pct. of China’s population: 0.4%

An ancient city known for its network of canals, Suzhou was one of the world’s 10 largest cities in 100 A.D. and has long been one of the most prosperous. In the 19th century, it was also one of the largest non-capital cities in the world. The port of Suzhou boasted a 50% increase in cargo handled between 2011 and 2016, and the silk and cotton textile industries as well as a new technology park provide employment opportunities for migrants from elsewhere in China.

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48. Ahmedabad, India
> City population: 5,577,000
> Country population: 1,296,834,042
> Pct. of India’s population: 0.4%

The sixth largest city in India and the former capital of the Gujarat region, Ahmedabad continues to grow. In the 40-year period between 1975 and 2015, the population of Ahmedabad’s metropolitan area grew rapidly to more than 6 million.

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47. Singapore
> City population: 5,607,000
> Country population: 5,995,991
> Pct. of Singapore’s population: 93.5%

The population of this Asian city-state, which became an independent nation only in 1965, has almost tripled since its founding. This global financial center has one of the world’s highest life expectancies, and the government is attempting to increase population further by actively campaigning (thus far unsuccessfully) to approximately double the birth rate.

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46. Dalian, China
> City population: 5,900,000
> Country population: 1,384,688,986
> Pct. of China’s population: 0.4%

A one-time fishing village that became Russian property in 1898 and was later under Soviet control before being returned to China in 1950, Dalian today is a major industrial center as well as an important port. Its population has more than tripled since 1990, and in 2013 it was identified as China’s most congested city by the Chinese Academy of Social Services.