Bengaluru among world’s top 10 most densely populated cities: UN report
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New Delhi: Bengaluru has been ranked among the world’s top ten most densely populated cities, according to a new UN report, World Urbanisation Prospects 2025: Summary of Results.
The report highlights a dramatic rise in megacities (urban areas with 10 million or more residents). Their number has jumped from just eight in 1975 to 33 in 2025, with Asia accounting for 19 of them. By 2050, the tally is expected to reach 37, with cities such as Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Dar es Salaam (United Republic of Tanzania), Hajipur (India) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) projected to cross the 10-million mark.
The report released by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs notes that out of the world’s 50 most crowded cities, 12 are in India. Mumbai leads globally with nearly 30,000 people per sq km. Four Indian cities, Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru—rank among the top ten. Bengaluru alone has a population density exceeding 20,000 people per sq km.
The report further adds that urban areas are now home to 45% of the world’s 8.2 billion people. Among the 33 megacities identified, India hosts five: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru—one more than China, which has four.
Globally, Jakarta leads as the most populous city with nearly 42 million residents, followed by Dhaka with 37 million and Tokyo with 33 million. India’s New Delhi, with 30 million people, and Kolkata, with 22 million, also feature in the top ten. Cairo (Egypt) is the only non-Asian city among the top ten.
The release of the report coincides with the UN climate summit in Brazil, where nations are negotiating emission cuts and expanding carbon sinks to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population.
“As governments convene at COP30 to advance global climate commitments, the UN underscores the pivotal role of urbanisation in driving sustainable development and climate resilience across all settlement types,” Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs said in a statement. “Urbanisation is a defining force of our time. Countries must adopt integrated national policies that align housing, land use, mobility, and public services across urban and rural areas.”
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Jarkiholi is my colleague, don’t see us as enemies: DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has stated that Satish Jarkiholi and he are colleagues and not enemies.
Speaking to presspersons here, Shivakumar questioned the media for portraying tension between the two leaders. “It is true that Satish Jarkiholi and I met at a wedding last night. We discussed the state and the party. Satish Jarkiholi and I are colleagues. Why do you see us as enemies?” he asked.
Shivakumar was responding to queries near the new Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) office on Thursday.
When asked about Jarkiholi’s visit, he said, “We attend cabinet meetings in the afternoon, we meet for dinner, we meet for breakfast in the morning; these interactions are normal. In politics, friendship, relationships, and closeness always exist.”
He added, “Now, M.B. Patil and I spoke for about an hour about how to attract investors to the state, how Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are competing with us. A global conference will be held in Telangana soon, and we discussed how Karnataka should compete at the global level. It is natural to discuss the state’s progress this way.”
Speaking about the inauguration of the new KKRDB office, he said, “Businessmen in Karnataka should be respected. Their work should be facilitated, officers’ visits should be convenient, and files should be cleared quickly. The state government has built a new KKRDB office under the leadership of M.B. Patil. They had been in a rented building for so long; now they have their own office. It is close to Vidhana Soudha, bus and railway stations.”
When mediapersons asked about, leader of opposition, R. Ashoka’s comments regarding the Upalokayukta report that allegedly shows 63% corruption in the state, Shivakumar retorted, stating that, “It’s a pity that R. Ashoka doesn’t know the time period the report covers. Let him first read the report. Let him raise the issue in the session, and we will answer there.”
On whether a date has been fixed for the all-party delegation’s visit to Delhi, he said, “We still need to discuss it. The Union Minister said he is busy with the Parliament session, so we postponed the meeting scheduled for December 8. He had written a letter about this. The Prime Minister has a meeting with Prahlad Joshi. Nirmala Sitharaman has to introduce a bill that day. Somanna also said he will not be able to attend. A date will be fixed that is convenient for all of us.”
