In the recent years, a mass movement of people from rural to urban areas has been witnessed across the globe as people seek to find both employment and business opportunities. This has seen a steady rise in population across cities in the world over the last couple of years. Below is a compilation of the top 10 most crowded cities in the world based on population estimates.
10- Shanghai, China
Located on the Yangtze River Delta in the Eastern part of China and with a population estimate of about 17,836,000 million people. Shanghai is not only the largest city in China but easily the worlds most crowded city. Shanghai is the commercial and business hub of the mainland China and also the has the busiest container port in the world. A popular tourist destination, Shanghai also boasts some of the modern pieces of architecture with the Shanghai World Financial Center located at the heart of the city being the third tallest building in the world. Due to its huge population, the real estate has blossomed here as service providers seek to provide accommodation and other amenities for the working population.
9- Istanbul, Turkey
A metropolitan city in nature, Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey with a population estimate of 13,854,740 million people. Istanbul has in the recent past seen a huge increase of foreign investors due to its conducive business environment. Approximately 11.5 million foreign investors visited Istanbul in 2012 alone making it one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. Most Turkish companies have their headquarters in Istanbul and account for nearly a quarter of Turkey’s Gross Domestic Product. This city is referred to as a “global city” and is one of the fastest growing metropolis in the world.
8- Karachi, Pakistan
Located in the southern part of Pakistan, Karachi is the hosts about 12.9 million inhabitants. Karachi is home to most of Pakistani’s corporations and is also South Asia’s hub for higher education. The Globalization and World Rankings Research Institute has ranked Karachi as beta city. Despite having lost its capital city status to Islamabad, Karachi is still the home to majority of Pakistani’s banks, advertising companies, medical research centers among other businesses.
7- Mumbai, India
This city is located in Western India and was formerly known as Bombay. Mumbai is the wealthiest city in India. Rated as one of the most populous cities in the world, this city has a population estimate of about 12.5 million people. Mumbai is also India’s commercial and business center and featured in the top ten list of the world’s commercial centers in terms of global financial flow. The city is also home to India’s film industry popularly known as Bollywood. Due to the many business opportunities, Mumbai has a diversity of cultural practices.
6- Moscow, Russia
This capital of the Federal Russia has a population of about 11.9 million people and is located on the Moskva River in the Central Federal District of European Russia. A mega city by rating, Moscow is the home to most of the world’s billionaires and one of the most expensive cities to live in the world. The city has a vibrant night life, and boasts of state of the art entertainment spots, culture centers and art galleries. However, it is the non-censorship approach taken by the government on the diverse cultures that has seen a lot of people visit this city in huge numbers despite the high costs of living.
5- Beijing, China
Beijing is the second largest city in China and also doubles up as the capital city. It has a population estimate of about 11.4 million people. It is the home to most of China’s largest corporations and also a major hub for expressways and high speed railway networks. The Beijing Capital International airport is the second busiest in the world. The city is laced with palaces, temples, tombs and arts treasures making it the China’s cultural center.
4- Tehran, Iran
The declaration of Tehran as Iran’s capital city in the early 1800s saw a mass movement of people from other parts of the country to this city with population estimates now standing at 11.2 million people, The city is a major tourist destination with building dating as far back as 6000 BC. The city is also characterized by beautiful parks and lakes, with cinemas being very popular especially among the youth.
3- Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sao Paulo is ranked as the second most populous metropolis in the Americas and among the ten largest metropolitan areas in the world. This city has a population estimate of about 11.1 million people and is home to Brazilian television networks including SBT and Gazeta. Reliable sources have predicted that Sao Paulo will have the second largest economic growth in the world between 2011 and 2025.
2- Guangzhou, China
Guangzhou is the largest city in the China’s Guangdong province. Its has a population of 11,070,654 million people. Due to its vibrant shopping culture, this city has witnessed a steady stream of shoppers from all over the world all year round. The city also boast a good transport network and is Guangdong’s province transport hub due to its location on the Pearl River and its nearness to Macau and Hong Kong.
1- Delhi, India
This is the largest city in India in terms of area and has population of about 11,007,000 million people. The city is the commercial hub of Northern India and also one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Delhi is a city of diverse cultural practices with the population being composed of Christians, Hindus and Muslim faithfuls.
With the emerging of beta and mega cities across the world, rural urban migration will continue being experienced as people complete for the available resources. It is estimated that by the year 2050, 65% of the third world population will be living in cities while that of the first world is pegged at 85%.