Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style

Which is the world’s largest city?

Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

As of 2026 Guangzhou, China, with an estimated 73,600,000 inhabitants, is the world’s largest urban area by population. Guangzhou’s urban area—defined as a densely populated and continuous urban settlement—includes the adjacent cities of Dongguan, Foshan, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shenzhen, and Zhongshan. Between 2025 and 2026, Guangzhou’s population grew by an estimated 900,000 inhabitants.