Insider Monkey

50 Most Densely Populated Cities in the World

Ramish Cheema
11 min read

In this piece, we will take a look at the fifty most densely populated cities in the world. For more cities, head on over to 10 Most Densely Populated Cities in the World.

The link between population growth and economic output is quite well known. A large population leaves more people available for productive labor, enabling greater output. At the same time, if the population remains unskilled, then instead of being productive, they can end up being a drain on societal resources.

Additionally, population growth is often uneven. The growth in urbanization often leads to more people moving to cities in search of better job prospects and standards of living. Data from the United Nations shows that as compared to 30% of the world's population that lived in cities in 1950, this percentage grew to 55% in 2018 and is further estimated to sit at 68% by the end of 2050. Europe, North America, and Latin America are some of the most urbanized regions in the world - with Asia, the world's largest continent, being relatively less urbanized.

This urbanization, and the corresponding growth in population density i.e. the number of people that live in a unit of area, also has benefits for a variety of industries. One industry that has grown rapidly over these past few years, particularly in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic is food delivery. Research from the consulting firm McKinsey shows that the food delivery market is currently worth a massive $150 billion. It also has some interesting data about the impact that population density has on the efficiency of food delivery. It shares that with the passage of time, food delivery companies are expanding their operational footprint to now target regions with lower population densities. This shift is likely to increase the overall cost a customer has to bear for ordering food online since restaurant commission fees and driver costs grow over time.

Another industry that also sees an impact from population density is broadband internet. Some believe that there is a direct mathematical impact of population density on internet coverage. Or at least that's what experts from the engineering consulting firm NetForecast believe. Using data from the Communications Workers of America (CWA), they show that upload speeds are dependent on 335 + people per square mile, and download speed equals 4.7x the upload speed. At the same time, population densities also often see network coverage providers focus on denser areas since it is easier to recuperate costs. At the same time, this gap is also starting to be filled by new companies utilizing advanced technologies to cover low density areas. One such firm is Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX). While SpaceX started out as a rocket company, it now has a subsidiary called Starlink. Starlink operates the world's largest satellite internet constellation with the primary objective of providing internet coverage to some of the most underserved regions in both America and the world. On this front, Starlink has become one of the few internet companies that has successfully provided low cost and high speed internet to users in some of the most remote and scarcely populated regions in the world, such as the polar areas of Alaska.

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