North America Capitals Quiz
Try a short quiz about capitals across North America and the Caribbean.
The World’s Largest Capitals by Population
The largest capital city by population depends on the boundary used. By urban agglomeration estimates from CityPopulation.de for 2025, Tokyo is the largest capital-area population in the world. By the newer UN World Urbanization Prospects 2025 method, Jakarta is listed as the world’s most populous city and therefore the largest capital under that dataset.
Short answer: For a like-for-like capital ranking, this article uses urban agglomeration population, because city proper limits can be too narrow for very large capitals. Under that measure, the top capitals are Tokyo, Delhi/New Delhi, Jakarta, Manila and Mexico City.
The ranking counts the built-up capital area and closely linked nearby cities, not only the legal city boundary.
Population figures are rounded estimates, so they should be read as scale comparisons rather than exact headcounts.
Tokyo, Jakarta, Manila, Seoul and Mexico City all change size sharply depending on whether metro, urban or city proper limits are used.
Largest Capital Cities by Urban Agglomeration Population
The table ranks national capitals by estimated urban agglomeration population. Some entries need a short status note: New Delhi is the official capital of India within the larger Delhi urban region, while Jakarta remains Indonesia’s capital during the Nusantara transition until the formal transfer decree takes effect.
| Capital Rank | Capital / Capital Region | Country | Estimated Population | Boundary Used | Capital Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo | Japan | about 41.2 million | Urban agglomeration | Includes the wider Tokyo urban area with nearby cities such as Yokohama, Kawasaki and Saitama. |
| 2 | Delhi / New Delhi | India | about 35.7 million | Conurbation | New Delhi is the official capital; the population figure reflects the much larger Delhi urban region. |
| 3 | Jakarta | Indonesia | about 29.5 million | Urban agglomeration | Includes the Jabodetabek area; Jakarta remains the capital while the Nusantara transfer is pending. |
| 4 | Manila | Philippines | about 27.8 million | Urban agglomeration | The figure reflects the Greater Manila urban area, not only the City of Manila. |
| 5 | Mexico City | Mexico | about 25.4 million | Consolidated urban area | The capital area extends across Mexico City and surrounding municipalities in the Valley of Mexico. |
| 6 | Seoul | South Korea | about 25.2 million | Consolidated urban area | Often read together with Incheon and Gyeonggi cities because the labor market is highly linked. |
| 7 | Dhaka | Bangladesh | about 23.1 million | Urban agglomeration | One of the fastest-growing capital regions in South Asia. |
| 8 | Cairo | Egypt | about 22.8 million | Urban agglomeration | Includes the Cairo-Giza urban area, making it Africa’s largest capital agglomeration in this list. |
| 9 | Bangkok | Thailand | about 21.8 million | Urban agglomeration | The wider capital area extends beyond Bangkok’s administrative city limits. |
| 10 | Beijing | China | about 21.5 million | Administrative urban area | China’s national capital and one of the world’s largest political centers. |
| 11 | Moscow | Russia | about 18.8 million | Urban agglomeration | Europe’s largest capital-area population by this dataset. |
| 12 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | about 16.8 million | Consolidated urban area | The ranking reflects Greater Buenos Aires, not only the autonomous city. |
| 13 | Tehran | Iran | about 16.8 million | Urban agglomeration | The capital region stretches toward Karaj and other linked urban districts. |
| 14 | Kinshasa | Democratic Republic of the Congo | about 16.3 million | City / urban estimate | A very large capital city on the Congo River; estimates are less stable than in countries with recent high-coverage censuses. |
| 15 | London | United Kingdom | about 15.1 million | Consolidated urban area | The figure covers Greater London and closely tied urban areas beyond it. |
| 16 | Lima | Peru | about 12.0 million | Urban agglomeration | Often counted together with Callao in wider urban comparisons. |
| 17 | Paris | France | about 11.5 million | Conurbation | The capital’s population is much larger when the Paris urban region is counted rather than the small city proper. |
| 18 | Bogotá | Colombia | about 10.6 million | Urban agglomeration | A high-altitude capital whose urban footprint extends into nearby municipalities. |
| 19 | Taipei | Taiwan | about 10.1 million | Conurbation | Included as a capital-status case; the Taipei urban area includes New Taipei and nearby linked cities. |
| 20 | Luanda | Angola | about 9.65 million | Urban area | A fast-growing Atlantic capital and one of the largest capital populations in Africa. |
Table note: Population values are rounded and based mainly on urban agglomeration-style estimates. They are not the same as municipality or city proper populations.
Why Jakarta May Appear First in Some Rankings
The UN’s World Urbanization Prospects 2025 uses a newer, more standardized way to define city populations across countries. Under that method, Jakarta is listed with nearly 42 million residents, followed by Dhaka and Tokyo. That is why some newer lists name Jakarta as the world’s largest city and largest capital by population.
The table on this page uses a separate urban agglomeration dataset for a fuller capital-by-capital ranking. The difference is not a simple error. It comes from how each source draws the urban boundary, how it treats surrounding municipalities and how it handles dense built-up areas that cross administrative lines.
Common Point of Confusion: Capital City vs Capital Region
A capital can be small on paper and huge in daily life. Manila city proper is far smaller than Metro Manila. Paris city proper is much smaller than the Paris urban region. New Delhi is the official capital of India, but the population scale usually comes from the wider Delhi region. For large-capital comparisons, urban agglomeration is usually more useful than city proper population.
Largest Capitals by Region
Tokyo leads in the agglomeration table, while Jakarta leads under the UN WUP 2025 city method.
Cairo ranks ahead of Kinshasa and Luanda in this capital-only list.
Moscow is larger than London and Paris by agglomeration population in this dataset.
Mexico City is much larger than Washington, D.C. or Ottawa by urban population.
Buenos Aires is slightly ahead of Lima in this ranking, followed by Bogotá.
Oceania’s national capitals are much smaller than the top Asian, African, European and American capitals.
Capitals Not to Confuse with the Largest City
Some countries have very large cities that are not their capitals. This matters because a list of the world’s largest cities is not the same as a list of the world’s largest capitals.
| Country | Largest City Often Mentioned | Actual Capital Arrangement |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | São Paulo | Brasília is the capital. |
| Nigeria | Lagos | Abuja is the capital. |
| Türkiye | Istanbul | Ankara is the capital. |
| South Africa | Johannesburg | Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein share national capital roles. |
| Morocco | Casablanca | Rabat is the capital. |
| Australia | Sydney | Canberra is the capital. |
Sources and Data Notes
The main ranking uses rounded 2025 urban agglomeration figures from CityPopulation.de, Major Agglomerations of the World. The UN comparison note is based on UN DESA’s World Urbanization Prospects 2025 release, which lists Jakarta, Dhaka and Tokyo as the three largest cities under its updated method. Jakarta’s current capital-status caveat is supported by reporting on Indonesia’s transition process and the pending presidential decree, including the Constitutional Court of Indonesia.
Because city definitions vary by country, this ranking should be read as a population-scale comparison. A city proper table would produce a very different order.
FAQ
What is the largest capital city in the world by population?
By urban agglomeration estimates used in this ranking, Tokyo is the largest capital-area population. By the UN World Urbanization Prospects 2025 method, Jakarta is listed as the world’s most populous city and the largest capital under that source.
Why is New Delhi shown with Delhi?
New Delhi is India’s official capital, but it sits within the larger Delhi urban region. Large population rankings usually use the Delhi urban area because it reflects the real scale of the capital region.
Is Jakarta still the capital of Indonesia?
Jakarta remains Indonesia’s capital during the transition to Nusantara until the formal relocation process is completed by presidential decree.
Why is São Paulo not on the list?
São Paulo is one of the world’s largest urban areas, but it is not Brazil’s capital. Brazil’s capital is Brasília.
Why do capital population rankings disagree?
They disagree because sources may count city proper, municipality, urban area, metropolitan area or a wider capital region. These boundaries can change the population by millions.
