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List of metropolitan areas by population
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The question of which are the world's largest cities is a complex one, to which there is no single correct answer, simply because there are many different ways of defining a "city". One concept is the metropolitan area, which is based on the concept of a labor market area and is typically defined as an employment core (an area with a high density of available jobs) and the surrounding areas that have strong commuting ties to the core.
The following is a list of the twenty largest metropolitan areas in 2003 as defined by one source.

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Encyclopedia
The question of which are the world's largest cities is a complex one, to which there is no single correct answer, simply because there are many different ways of defining a "city". One concept is the metropolitan area, which is based on the concept of a labor market area and is typically defined as an employment core (an area with a high density of available jobs) and the surrounding areas that have strong commuting ties to the core.
The following is a list of the twenty largest metropolitan areas in 2003 as defined by one source. 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 | | 32,450,000 | 8,014 | 4,049 | | 2 | Seoul | | 20,550,000 | 5,076 | 4,048 | | 3 | Mexico City | | 20,450,000 | 7,346 | 2,784 | | 4 | New York City | | 19,750,000 | 17,884 | 1,104 | | 5 | Mumbai | | 19,200,000 | 2,350 | 8,170 | | 6 | Jakarta | | 18,900,000 | 5,100 | 3,706 | | 7 | São Paulo | | 18,850,000 | 8,479 | 2,223 | | 8 | Delhi | | 18,600,000 | 3,182 | 5,845 | | 9 | Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto | | 17,375,000 | 6,930 | 2,507 | | 10 | Shanghai | | 16,650,000 | 5,177 | 3,216 | | 11 | Metro Manila | | 16,300,000 | 2,521 | 6,466 | | 12 | Hong Kong-Shenzhen | | 15,800,000 | 3,051 | 5,179 | | 13 | Los Angeles | | 15,250,000 | 10,780 | 1,415 | | 14 | Kolkata | | 15,100,000 | 1,785 | 8,459 | | 15 | Moscow | | 15,000,000 | 14,925 | 1,005 | | 16 | Cairo | | 14,450,000 | 1,600 | 9,031 | | 17 | Buenos Aires | | 13,170,000 | 10,888 | 1,210 | | 18 | London | | 12,875,000 | 11,391 | 1,130 | | 19 | Beijing | | 12,500,000 | 6,562 | 1,905 | | 20 | Karachi | | 11,800,000 | 1,100 | 10,727 |
See also
Lists of metropolitan areas by region
Lists of metropolitan areas by country or region
External links
- - has some definitions for OECD countries
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