Most Populous Cities of the World: The following tables lists the most populous cities in the world. Data includes the most recent figures available. RankCity*PopulationYear 1 Shanghai, China 17,836,133 2011c 2 Istanbul, Turkey 13,854,740 2012e 3 Karachi, Pakistan 12,991,000 2013c 4 Mumbai, India 12,478,447 2011c 5 Moscow, Russia 11,977,988 2013e 6 Manila, Philippines 11,953,140 2012c 7 São Paulo, Brazil 11,821,876 2013c 8 Beijing, China 11,716,000 2010c 9 Tianjin, China 11,090,314 2010c 10 Guangzhou, China 11,070,654 2010c 11 Delhi, India 11,007,835 2010c 12 Seoul, South Korea 10,442,426 2012c 13 Shenzhen, China 10,357,938 2010c 14 Jakarta, Indonesia 10,187,595 2012e 15 Tokyo, Japan 8,967,665 2010c 16 Mexico City, Mexico 8,873,017 2010c 17 Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo 8,754,000 2010e 18 Bangalore, India 8,425,970 2011c 19 New York City, United States 8,336,697 2013e 20 London 8,308,369 2012e NOTES: “c” = census figure; “e” = estimated; “p” = preliminary census figure. *Refers to the city proper, as opposed to an urban agglomeration, which would also count the surrounding urban areas in the total. Source:CIA World Factbook