List of metropolitan areas by population

The following is a list of the twenty largest metropolitan areas in 2003 as defined by one source.[1] As population figures are interpreted and presented differently according to different methods of data collection, definitions and sources, these numbers should be viewed as approximate. Data from other sources may be equally valid but differ due to being measured according to different criteria or taken from different census years.

Rank | Metropolitan area | Country | Population | Area (km2) | Population Density (People/km2)

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1 | Tokyo | Japan | 32,450,000 | 8,014 | 4,049
2 | Seoul | South Korea | 20,550,000 | 5,076 | 4,048
3 | Mexico City[2] | Mexico | 20,450,000 | 7,346 | 2,784
4 | New York City[3] | USA | 19,750,000 | 17,884 | 1,104
5 | Mumbai | India | 19,200,000 | 2,350 | 8,170
6 | Jakarta | India | 18,900,000 | 5,100 | 3,706
7 | São Paulo | Brazil | 18,850,000 | 8,479 | 2,223
8 | Delhi | India | 18,600,000 | 3,182 | 5,845
9 | Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto | Japan | 17,375,000 | 6,930 | 2,507
10 | Shanghai | China | 16,650,000 | 5,177 | 3,216
11 | Manila | Philippines | 16,300,000 | 2,521 | 6,466
12 | Hong Kong-Shenzhen[4] | China | 15,800,000 | 3,051 | 5,179
13 | Los Angeles | USA | 15,250,000 | 10,780 | 1,415
14 | Kolkata | India | 15,100,000 | 1,785 | 8,459
15 | Moscow | Russia | 15,000,000 | 14,925 | 1,005
16 | Cairo | Egypt | 14,450,000 | 1,600 | 9,031
17 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | 13,170,000 | 10,888 | 1,210
18 | London | UK | 12,875,000 | 11,391 | 1,130
19 | Beijing | China | 12,500,000 | 6,562 | 1,905
20 | Karachi | Pakistan | 11,800,000 | 1,100 | 10,727

## References and notes[edit]

1. ↑ R.L. Forstall, R.P. Greene, and J.B. Pick, "Which are the largest? Why published populations for major world urban areas vary so greatly", City Futures Conference, (University of Illinois at Chicago, July 2004) - Table 5 (p.34)
2. ↑ Consists of two separate zona metropolitanas: the Zona Metropolitana del Valle de Mexico (ZMVM) and the Zona Metropolitana de Toluca (ZMT)
3. ↑ Consists of two separate metropolitan statistical areas (MSA): the New York-Northern New Jersey Long Island MSA and the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk MSA.
4. ↑ There are restrictions on the movement of labor between Hong Kong and mainland China and the two areas are sometimes listed separately in other lists.