Jakarta overtakes Tokyo as the world’s most populous city

Jakarta is home to 42 million people, according to a new estimate by the population division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in its World Urbanisation Prospects report published in November 2025. Jakarta now sits ahead of Dhaka, which has around 37 million residents. Tokyo is in third place with about 33 million people. This marks a major shift from the UN’s 2018 figures, when Tokyo was still considered the world’s largest megacity with roughly 37 million inhabitants.

Jakarta overtaking Tokyo as the world’s most populous city underscores a critical truth: population growth alone does not define a city’s success. A city’s culture plays an important role as well. As active cities of the World Cities Culture Forum, Jakarta and Tokyo show how fast-growing cities must invest in culture to remain liveable, attractive and resilient. The World Cities Culture Report’s 5th edition demonstrates that during rapid urbanisation, culture is not a luxury – but a core tool for social wellbeing, economic opportunity and sustainability.

Despite their differences, both Jakarta and Tokyo invest in culture to attract talent, promote heritage and strengthen social cohesion: both cities acknowledge that metropolises thrive on cultural vitality, not just density.

Tokyo is investing in culture as a key pillar of civic life through initiatives like START Box, which offers affordable artist spaces, and Civic Creative Base Tokyo, where citizens and technologists combine to co-create public ideas. Citywide, Tokyo is a powerhouse for accessibility, deepening engagement across thousands of cultural venues and showing how culture can reach everyone in dense megacities.

Jakarta is forging its own strategies. Five Cultural Villages across the city showcase folklore, cuisine, language and cultural events from Betawi communities, building on a local identity, creating jobs and attracting cultural tourists.  An initiative at Museum Bahari Jakarta is turning this maritime museum not only into a ‘site of memory’, but also a platform for future-making offering training and youth programmes that positions the museum as a driver for social and economic development.

As Jakarta enters this new chapter, cultural strategies will matter more than ever. The world’s fastest-growing cities face intense pressures, from climate risks to widening inequalities. Culture provides the creative skills, shared civic spaces and the confidence and imagination needed to meet these challenges.