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. There is currently no generally accepted, globally consistent definition of exactly what constitutes a metropolitan area, thus making comparisons between cities in different countries especially difficult.
One attempt at arriving at a consistently defined metropolitan area concept is the study by Richard Forstall, Richard Greene, and James Pick. The basic principles of their definition involve delineating the urban area as the core, then adding surrounding communities that meet two criteria: (1) Less than 35% of the resident workforce must be engaged in agriculture or fishing; and (2) At least 20% of the working residents commute to the urban core.
Based on their consistently defined metropolitan area criteria, they tabulate a list of the twenty largest metropolitan areas in 2003. 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) |
| 1 |
TokyoThe Greater Tokyo Area is a large metropolitan area in Kantō region, Japan, consisting of most of the prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tokyo . In Japanese, it is referred to by various terms, including the , , and others....
|
|
32,450,000 |
8,014 |
4,049 |
| 2 |
Seoul The Seoul National Capital Area is a region located in the north-west of South Korea. It is generally referred to as Sudogwon in Korean, and contains three different administrative districts; Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi-do....
|
|
20,550,000 |
5,076 |
4,048 |
| 3 |
Mexico City Greater Mexico City refers to the conurbation around Mexico City, officially called Mexico City Metropolitan Area , constituted by the Federal District—itself composed of 16 boroughs—and 41 adjacent municipalities of the states of Mexico and Hidalgo...
|
|
20,450,000 |
7,346 |
2,784 |
| 4 |
New YorkThe New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
|
|
19,750,000 |
17,884 |
1,104 |
| 5 |
Mumbai The Mumbai Metropolitan Region /Mumbai Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area consisting of the metropolis of Mumbai and its satellite towns. Developing over a period of about 20 years, it consists of seven municipal corporations and fifteen smaller municipal councils...
|
|
19,200,000 |
2,350 |
8,170 |
| 6 |
Jakarta Jabotabek is an officially recognized definition and term given to the urban region surrounding Jakarta, Indonesia in 2000, officially including five municipalities and three regencies...
|
|
18,900,000 |
5,100 |
3,706 |
| 7 |
São Paulo São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
|
|
18,850,000 |
8,479 |
2,223 |
| 8 |
DelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
|
|
18,600,000 |
3,182 |
5,845 |
| 9 |
Osaka-Kobe-Kyotois a Japanese metropolitan region encompassing the metropolitan areas of the cities of Osaka in Osaka prefecture, Kobe in Hyōgo Prefecture, and Kyoto in Kyoto prefecture. The entire region has a population of 18,644,000 over an area of 11,170 km²...
|
|
17,375,000 |
6,930 |
2,507 |
| 10 |
ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
|
|
16,650,000 |
5,177 |
3,216 |
| 11 |
ManilaMetropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
|
|
16,300,000 |
2,521 |
6,466 |
| 12 |
Hong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
-ShenzhenShenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
|
|
15,800,000 |
3,051 |
5,179 |
| 13 |
Los AngelesThe Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
|
|
15,250,000 |
10,780 |
1,415 |
| 14 |
Kolkata Kolkata Metropolitan Area is the urban agglomeration of the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India.-Constituents:The KMA consists of :...
|
|
15,100,000 |
1,785 |
8,459 |
| 15 |
MoscowMoscow metropolitan area or Moscow capital region is the largest metropolitan area in Russia and Europe, with population of about 15 million people.- Structure of Moscow metropolitan area :...
|
|
15,000,000 |
14,925 |
1,005 |
| 16 |
Cairo Greater Cairo is the largest metropolitan area in Egypt and the third largest urban area in the Islamic World after Jakarta and Greater Istanbul. It is the largest urban area in Africa. It is the world's 16th largest metropolitan area, consisting of governorates Cairo, Giza and Shubra El Khiema of...
|
|
14,450,000 |
1,600 |
9,031 |
| 17 |
Buenos Aires |
|
13,170,000 |
10,888 |
1,210 |
| 18 |
LondonThe London commuter belt is the metropolitan area surrounding London, England from which it is practical to commute to work in the capital. It is alternatively known as the Greater South East, the London metropolitan area or the Southeast metropolitan area...
|
|
12,875,000 |
11,391 |
1,130 |
| 19 |
BeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
|
|
12,500,000 |
6,562 |
1,905 |
| 20 |
KarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
|
|
11,800,000 |
1,100 |
10,727 |