JAKARTA: Greater Jakarta and its neighbouring areas have dethroned Tokyo in the United Nation’s list of the world’s most populous cities thanks to increasing urban sprawl, which experts warn may put heavier burdens on the capital city in accommodating public needs.
The 2025 edition of World Urbanisation Prospects, launched on Nov. 18, named Jakarta the world’s most populous city with close to 42 million inhabitants, followed by Dhaka, Bangladesh (37 million) and long-time title holder Tokyo (33 million).
The report was issued by the UN think tank Department of Economic Social Affairs (UN DESA). The figure cited by the UN DESA was more than four times the number recorded by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), which counts only around 12 million people registered as residents of Jakarta’s five municipalities and Thousand Islands regency.
The UN defines a city as any cluster of contiguous geographic areas with a density of at least 1,500 inhabitants per square kilometre (sq km) and a total population of at least 50,000. For the 2025 report, the think tank overhauled an approach used since its first edition issued in 1991, which ranked cities based on reported national statistics.
It used the definition to count densely populated communities neighbouring Jakarta to define the degree of urbanisation in the capital city. The “degree of urbanisation” refers to the methodology to yield estimates of the populations living in cities, towns and rural areas that are comparable across countries and over time, making the world appear more urbanised than national statistics suggest, according to the UN.
Globally, the UN estimated cities are now home to 45 per cent of the world’s 8.2 billion population. The number was predicted to surge by two-thirds by 2050, including in Jakarta, which is expected to have nearly 52 million inhabitants by mid-century.
UN under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs Li Junhua called the rising urbanisation “a rising force of our time” that could drive climate action, economic growth and social equity.
“To achieve balanced territorial development, countries must adopt integrated national policies that align housing, land use, mobility and public services across urban and rural areas,” Junhua said in a statement issued on Nov. 18.
Heavier challenges
Some people debate the UN report over its calculation and relevance for policymaking. Chico Hakim, special staffer for Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung, said the population figure recorded by the UN was based on millions of Jakarta daily commuters from the city’s satellite cities. “This mobility is what makes Jakarta feel much denser compared to its actual population,” Chico said on Thursday (Nov 27).
Urban expert Yayat Supriyatna from Trisakti University in Jakarta said the report underscored the need to consider the city’s agglomeration zones to formulate better urban policymaking, noting the interdependence and interlink economic activities between the capital city and its satellite cities.
Such a connection has created new smaller cities, which led to the UN defining Jakarta as a cluster of interconnected urban areas, according to Yayat. As the government plans to relocate its capital to the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) in East Kalimantan, the House of Representatives passed in 2024 the Jakarta Special Designation Law, which redefines Jakarta’s area by expanding its urban agglomeration zones.
The refined administration area encompasses Bogor regency and municipality, Bekasi regency and municipality, Cianjur regency and Depok municipality in West Java, as well as Tangerang regency and municipality and the South Tangerang municipality in Banten.
Yayat warned that Jakarta, which is expected to remain the country’s economic hub despite its surrounding smaller cities having failed to keep up with its development, would bear a heavier burden in accommodating the public, particularly because of the soaring cost of living and increasingly competitive job market.
“Other cities are struggling to become new centres of the Greater Jakarta area thanks to insufficient infrastructure that could encourage mobility,” Yayat said, adding that the capital is becoming swiftly unaffordable.
The concern was shared by many Jakartans, such as Abdeel Gharie who said it is more difficult nowadays to secure a steady job in Jakarta. “The competition is just so tight, even when you’re a university graduate,” said the 28-year-old freelancer. “With more people coming to [Jakarta], living a proper life in Jakarta seems so hard.” - The Jakarta Post/ANN
