The 15 Fastest-Growing Megacities

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The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous megacity, expected to reach 39 million people in 2025.

Image: Flickr, Edward Blake

By Matt Petronzio2014-01-30 03:58:02 UTC

There are more than 25 "megacities" — that is, cities and their surrounding metropolitan areas with total populations of more than 10 million people — around the world. Including places such as New York, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro, megacities are set for major growth over the next 10 years.

The New York metro area, for instance — which also includes Long Island, the Mid- and Lower Hudson Valley, the six largest cities in New Jersey, the six largest cities in Connecticut and five counties in northeastern Pennsylvania — is poised to reach 24 million people in 2025. That's a 20% increase from 2011.

See also: 5 Ways Cities Are Using Big Data

The Greater Tokyo Area, which comprises the entire Kantō region and the prefecture of Yamanashi, is the most populous megacity with 37 million people. In 2025, the population will reach 39 million.

The chart, below, created by Statista, illustrates the world's top megacities and their population growth.

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