Table 5.4
The transitions in the populations of the 18 megacities based on LandScan 2020 in thousands
Early medieval
Late medieval
Pre-modern
Modern
7C
8C
9C
10C
11C
12C
13C
14C
15C
1500
1600
1700
1800 1850 1900 1950
1980
2007
2035
Monsoon
Asia
Osaka
CITY;
Naniwa
CITY (town) (town) (town) (port)
(town) (town)
35
CITY;
castle
360
380
383
320
970
7005 17,028 13,699 18,346
Seoul
CITY
CITY
CITY;
Capital
100
125
125
158
194
183
*266
1021
8258 19,375 10,286
Dhaka
(market)
(town)
(town)
100
900
*106 58
104
336
3266 10,278 31,234
Tokyo
(village) (village)
60
688
1150 780
1497 11,275 28,549 29,274 36,014
Mumbai
(village) *(fort)
(village)
60
140
575
780
2857
8658 18,719 27,343
Shanghai
(town)
(town)
45
90
*185 619
4301
5966 13,286 34,341
Manila
(village) *(6)
(town)
30
77
70
220
1544
5955 17,751 18,649
Jakarta
(port)
*(fort)
(town)
24
47
195
406
1452
5984 22,936 13,812
Kolkata
(village)
*11
162
413
1085
4513
9030 16,391 19,564
Mid-latitude arid
region
Cairo
CITY;
Fustat
CITY 100
150
CITY
175
300
350
380
400
200
175
186
256
*595
2494
7349 16,948 28,504
Delhi
(fort)
(fort)
(fort)
(fort)
80
125
50
80
500
298
*140 156
207
1369
5558 17,797 43,345
Karachi
(fort)
(0.25)
15
50
136
1055
5048 11,634 23,128
Upper
Eurasia
Moscow
(Kremlin) (town)
30
40
80
100
160
248
373
1120
5356
8136 10,234 12,823
North
America
and
Oceania
New
York
*
(village)
(5)
64
645
4242 12,338 15,601 11,849 20,817
Los
Angeles
*
(0.3)
(3)
102
4046
9512 10,147 13,778
Latin
America
Mexico
City
City;
Tenochtitlan
100
*80
75
85
128
170
368
3365 13,028 17,820 23,415
Buenos
Aires
*(fort)
(town)
12
34
180
806
5098
9422 12,460 17,128
Sao
Paulo
*
(village)
(8.5)
10
12
15
240
2334 12,089 17,832 24,490
Before 1900, population information collated from previous studies
After 1950 (except 2007), populations of cities based on the United Nations (2018) Annual Population of Urban Agglomerations with 300,000 or more inhabitants
2007 population of cities based on the United States (US) Department of Energy’s 2007 LandScan data on cities
CITY shows city status that estimated over 10,000 persons when data on population are not available
Letters in parentheses in Italic fonts indicate village or town of below 10,000 persons or without population data
Numbers in parentheses in Italic fonts indicate village or town of below 10,000 persons
* shows time at which colonized by foreign power
Bold font indicates time of independence as a modern nation state
The transitions in the populations of the 18 megacities based on LandScan 2020 in thousands
Early medieval
Late medieval
Pre-modern
Modern
7C
8C
9C
10C
11C
12C
13C
14C
15C
1500
1600
1700
1800 1850 1900 1950
1980
2007
2035
Monsoon
Asia
Osaka
CITY;
Naniwa
CITY (town) (town) (town) (port)
(town) (town)
35
CITY;
castle
360
380
383
320
970
7005 17,028 13,699 18,346
Seoul
CITY
CITY
CITY;
Capital
100
125
125
158
194
183
*266
1021
8258 19,375 10,286
Dhaka
(market)
(town)
(town)
100
900
*106 58
104
336
3266 10,278 31,234
Tokyo
(village) (village)
60
688
1150 780
1497 11,275 28,549 29,274 36,014
Mumbai
(village) *(fort)
(village)
60
140
575
780
2857
8658 18,719 27,343
Shanghai
(town)
(town)
45
90
*185 619
4301
5966 13,286 34,341
Manila
(village) *(6)
(town)
30
77
70
220
1544
5955 17,751 18,649
Jakarta
(port)
*(fort)
(town)
24
47
195
406
1452
5984 22,936 13,812
Kolkata
(village)
*11
162
413
1085
4513
9030 16,391 19,564
Mid-latitude arid
region
Cairo
CITY;
Fustat
CITY 100
150
CITY
175
300
350
380
400
200
175
186
256
*595
2494
7349 16,948 28,504
Delhi
(fort)
(fort)
(fort)
(fort)
80
125
50
80
500
298
*140 156
207
1369
5558 17,797 43,345
Karachi
(fort)
(0.25)
15
50
136
1055
5048 11,634 23,128
Upper
Eurasia
Moscow
(Kremlin) (town)
30
40
80
100
160
248
373
1120
5356
8136 10,234 12,823
North
America
and
Oceania
New
York
*
(village)
(5)
64
645
4242 12,338 15,601 11,849 20,817
Los
Angeles
*
(0.3)
(3)
102
4046
9512 10,147 13,778
Latin
America
Mexico
City
City;
Tenochtitlan
100
*80
75
85
128
170
368
3365 13,028 17,820 23,415
Buenos
Aires
*(fort)
(town)
12
34
180
806
5098
9422 12,460 17,128
Sao
Paulo
*
(village)
(8.5)
10
12
15
240
2334 12,089 17,832 24,490
Before 1900, population information collated from previous studies
After 1950 (except 2007), populations of cities based on the United Nations (2018) Annual Population of Urban Agglomerations with 300,000 or more inhabitants
2007 population of cities based on the United States (US) Department of Energy’s 2007 LandScan data on cities
CITY shows city status that estimated over 10,000 persons when data on population are not available
Letters in parentheses in Italic fonts indicate village or town of below 10,000 persons or without population data
Numbers in parentheses in Italic fonts indicate village or town of below 10,000 persons
* shows time at which colonized by foreign power
Bold font indicates time of independence as a modern nation state