The COVID-19 pandemic reminds people that crowded cities have distinct disadvantages, beyond those that are obvious. The omicron variant has aggressively spread at an unimaginable rate, and people in close quarters have suffered the effects brutally.
Areas with very high population density often have other troubles as well, including pollution, lack of clean water, and the trouble of providing services to areas where people literally live on top of one another. The most densely populated city in the world is Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The U.S. does not have cities that rank among the most densely populated in the world, but it can help highlight the extremes. While New Jersey has almost 1,200 residents per square mile, Alaska has 1.2 people per square mile. (This is the largest state in America.)
Using data on population density, population, and land area in global urban areas from the June 2021 edition of the World Urban Areas report from Demographia, an urban development research group, 24/7 Wall St. identified the most densely populated city in the world. Only areas with 500,000 residents were considered. The yardstick was based on the average number of people per square mile living in a given urban area.
To make our decision, cities were not ranked on their official municipal boundaries, but rather, the built-up land areas that, as described in the report, “function as an integrated economic unit, linked together by commuting flows, social and economic interactions.” By this definition, the New York City area has a population density of 4,477 people per square mile. However, the borough of Manhattan alone has a population density of 70,826 people per square mile.
Several of the most densely populated cities in the world are located in Africa and South America. However, the majority of cities on this list are in Asia, including over two dozen in India. No U.S. cities made the list.
Perhaps not surprisingly, some of the most densely populated cities in the world are also some of the most populous cities, home to over 10 million people. (This is America’s largest city.)
The most densely populated city in the world, Dhaka, Bangladesh, is home to 16.8 million residents who live in 176 square miles. The area’s population density is 95,676 people per square mile.
Click here to see the 50 most densely populated cities in the world
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50. Jhansi, India
> Population density: 41,063 people per square mile
> Population: 657,000
> Built-up land area in city: 16 square miles
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49. Hyderabad, Pakistan
> Population density: 41,191 people per square mile
> Population: 1.9 million
> Built-up land area in city: 47 square miles
48. Al-Mansurah, Egypt
> Population density: 41,438 people per square mile
> Population: 663,000
> Built-up land area in city: 16 square miles
47. Kayamkulam, India
> Population density: 41,500 people per square mile
> Population: 664,000
> Built-up land area in city: 16 square miles
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46. Bogota, Colombia
> Population density: 42,737 people per square mile
> Population: 9.3 million
> Built-up land area in city: 217 square miles
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45. Rajkot, India
> Population density: 42,821 people per square mile
> Population: 1.7 million
> Built-up land area in city: 39 square miles
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44. Alexandria, Egypt
> Population density: 42,982 people per square mile
> Population: 4.9 million
> Built-up land area in city: 113 square miles
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43. Vijayawada, India
> Population density: 43,229 people per square mile
> Population: 1.5 million
> Built-up land area in city: 35 square miles
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42. Kurnool, India
> Population density: 43,333 people per square mile
> Population: 650,000
> Built-up land area in city: 15 square miles
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41. Douala, Cameroon
> Population density: 43,385 people per square mile
> Population: 3.4 million
> Built-up land area in city: 78 square miles
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40. Port Said, Egypt
> Population density: 43,438 people per square mile
> Population: 695,000
> Built-up land area in city: 16 square miles
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39. Agra, India
> Population density: 43,712 people per square mile
> Population: 2.9 million
> Built-up land area in city: 66 square miles
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38. Solapur, India
> Population density: 43,760 people per square mile
> Population: 1.1 million
> Built-up land area in city: 25 square miles
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37. Aurangabad, India
> Population density: 44,028 people per square mile
> Population: 1.6 million
> Built-up land area in city: 36 square miles
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36. Rajshahi, Bangladesh
> Population density: 44,167 people per square mile
> Population: 530,000
> Built-up land area in city: 12 square miles
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35. Meerut, India
> Population density: 44,435 people per square mile
> Population: 2.8 million
> Built-up land area in city: 62 square miles
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34. Bahawalpur, Pakistan
> Population density: 44,517 people per square mile
> Population: 1.3 million
> Built-up land area in city: 29 square miles
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33. Gwalior, India
> Population density: 45,128 people per square mile
> Population: 1.8 million
> Built-up land area in city: 39 square miles
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32. Dakar, Senegal
> Population density: 47,307 people per square mile
> Population: 3.5 million
> Built-up land area in city: 75 square miles
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31. Kanpur, India
> Population density: 47,420 people per square mile
> Population: 3.8 million
> Built-up land area in city: 81 square miles
Source: christophe_cerisier / E+ via Getty Images
30. Kabul, Afghanistan
> Population density: 48,210 people per square mile
> Population: 5.1 million
> Built-up land area in city: 105 square miles
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29. Bukavu, Dem. Rep. of the Congo
> Population density: 49,176 people per square mile
> Population: 836,000
> Built-up land area in city: 17 square miles
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28. Tshikapa, Dem. Rep. of the Congo
> Population density: 49,462 people per square mile
> Population: 643,000
> Built-up land area in city: 13 square miles
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27. Goma, Dem. Rep. of the Congo
> Population density: 49,560 people per square mile
> Population: 1.2 million
> Built-up land area in city: 25 square miles
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26. Yaounde, Cameroon
> Population density: 50,159 people per square mile
> Population: 4.4 million
> Built-up land area in city: 88 square miles
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25. Caracas, Venezuela
> Population density: 51,289 people per square mile
> Population: 5.8 million
> Built-up land area in city: 114 square miles
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24. Kathmandu, Nepal
> Population density: 51,364 people per square mile
> Population: 4.0 million
> Built-up land area in city: 77 square miles
Source: Mayank Mani / iStock via Getty Images
23. Bareilly, India
> Population density: 52,594 people per square mile
> Population: 1.7 million
> Built-up land area in city: 32 square miles
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22. Surat, India
> Population density: 52,989 people per square mile
> Population: 4.9 million
> Built-up land area in city: 92 square miles
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21. Gaya, India
> Population density: 53,692 people per square mile
> Population: 698,000
> Built-up land area in city: 13 square miles
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20. Aligarh, India
> Population density: 54,368 people per square mile
> Population: 2.1 million
> Built-up land area in city: 38 square miles
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19. Ahmadabad, India
> Population density: 55,518 people per square mile
> Population: 7.7 million
> Built-up land area in city: 139 square miles
Source: X_world / Getty Images
18. Patna, India
> Population density: 55,983 people per square mile
> Population: 3.2 million
> Built-up land area in city: 58 square miles
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17. Mumbai, India
> Population density: 57,033 people per square mile
> Population: 22.2 million
> Built-up land area in city: 389 square miles
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16. Al-Mahallah, Egypt
> Population density: 57,857 people per square mile
> Population: 810,000
> Built-up land area in city: 14 square miles
15. Varanasi, India
> Population density: 58,701 people per square mile
> Population: 3.9 million
> Built-up land area in city: 67 square miles
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14. Malegaon, India
> Population density: 60,083 people per square mile
> Population: 721,000
> Built-up land area in city: 12 square miles
Source: Syed Mahamudur Rahman / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
13. Chittagong, Bangladesh
> Population density: 60,527 people per square mile
> Population: 4.5 million
> Built-up land area in city: 74 square miles
12. Muzaffarnagar, India
> Population density: 64,000 people per square mile
> Population: 704,000
> Built-up land area in city: 11 square miles
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11. Allahabad, India
> Population density: 64,362 people per square mile
> Population: 3.0 million
> Built-up land area in city: 47 square miles
10. Tanta, Egypt
> Population density: 65,444 people per square mile
> Population: 589,000
> Built-up land area in city: 9 square miles
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9. Hong Kong, Hong Kong
> Population density: 66,054 people per square mile
> Population: 7.4 million
> Built-up land area in city: 112 square miles
8. Mbuji-Mayi, Dem. Rep. of the Congo
> Population density: 70,132 people per square mile
> Population: 3.7 million
> Built-up land area in city: 53 square miles
Source: Devasahayam Chandra Dhas / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
7. SAR Macau, China: Macau
> Population density: 70,600 people per square mile
> Population: 706,000
> Built-up land area in city: 10 square miles
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6. Firozabad, India
> Population density: 73,909 people per square mile
> Population: 813,000
> Built-up land area in city: 11 square miles
Source: ShikharBhattarai / iStock via Getty Images
5. Sylhet, Bangladesh
> Population density: 78,000 people per square mile
> Population: 1.5 million
> Built-up land area in city: 19 square miles
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4. Saharanpur, India
> Population density: 80,571 people per square mile
> Population: 1.7 million
> Built-up land area in city: 21 square miles
Source: mtcurado / Getty Images
3. Kinshasa, Dem. Rep. of the Congo
> Population density: 83,644 people per square mile
> Population: 15.1 million
> Built-up land area in city: 180 square miles
2. Moradabad, India
> Population density: 88,450 people per square mile
> Population: 1.8 million
> Built-up land area in city: 20 square miles
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1. Dhaka, Bangladesh
> Population density: 95,676 people per square mile
> Population: 16.8 million
> Built-up land area in city: 176 square miles
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