The United Nations has announced that Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, has overtaken Tokyo as the world’s most populous city. This conclusion follows a significant revision in the methodology used to measure urban populations, which previously classified Tokyo as the most populous. The new criteria take into account more comprehensive data on urban areas, leading to this surprising shift in rankings.
This development underscores the growing urbanization trends in Southeast Asia and the increasing population density in Jakarta. Experts suggest that the revision in measurement standards could lead to further reclassifications of other major cities in the future. The implications of this change extend beyond mere statistics, as it affects how urban planning, resource allocation, and public policy are approached in cities with rapidly growing populations.