What is the world's largest city?
Over the last few centuries, cities have come to define the way humans live, work and interact. In 1800, just 10% of the world's population lived in cities, but since 2009, the planet’s urban population has exceeded its rural one — and in the U.S., around 80% of people call cities home.
"Both are as bad and as good as each other," Kevin Ward, a professor of human geography at the University of Manchester in the U.K. and director of the Manchester Urban Institute, told Live Science in an email."They capture different aspects of urban change and transformation. With some cities building upwards and creating increased densification, one might expect some cities to grow their population without necessarily expanding their physical imprint.
In terms of population, however, New York City is nowhere near the top of the list. According to World Population Review , New York, which has a population of 8,177,020 is currently the 45th most populous city in the world, sandwiched between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 44th and Hangzhou, China in 46th.