The Race to Be the Worlds Largest City

This animated bar chart tracks the shifting population of the world’s largest cities from 1500 to 2018. 

In the early 1500s, most people lived in the east – from Europe’s edge through North Africa to India and China. Beijing led at the start, then Istanbul took over around 1600. By the mid-1700s, London entered the top three and surged ahead during the Industrial Revolution, holding the crown until the 20th century.

That’s when New York briefly claimed the lead, before Tokyo overtook it and stayed on top. By 2018 the map looks very different: the top five cities are all in Asia – Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai, Beijing and Mumbai – with none of the top 10 in Europe or North America.