Big cities

Big cities

After the global population hit eight billion on 15 November 2022, various predictions have been made about when the number of people on Earth will peak. Studies vary, with some suggesting that world population will peak at 8.8 billion people by the middle of this century, before it starts to decline. Other predictions, such as those made by the United Nations, estimate that the world’s population could hit more than 10 billion by the 2080s. In any case, the substantial increase in population has led to significant congestion in several of the world’s largest cities, giving rise to major concerns regarding pollution and overcrowding.

• After the global population hit eight billion on 15 November 2022, various predictions have been made about when the number of people on Earth will peak. Studies vary, with some suggesting that world population will peak at 8.8 billion people by the middle of this century, before it starts to decline. Other predictions, such as those made by the United Nations, estimate that the world’s population could hit more than 10 billion by the 2080s. In any case, the substantial increase in population has led to significant congestion in several of the world’s largest cities, giving rise to major concerns regarding pollution and overcrowding.
• To put this list into some kind of perspective, the population of Greater London, UK, is about nine million, and New York, USA, is approximately 8.5 million.

Osaka, Japan - 19.2 million people

• Osaka, Japan - 19.2 million people
• An aerial view of the city of Osaka, Japan. Photo by Getty Images
• Keihanshin Metropolitan Area, which includes Japan's third-largest city Osaka, is home to some 19.2 million people. Historically important as a centre of commerce and industry, the city is still a financial hub home to many large Japanese companies.
• Osaka is famed for its food culture and modern architecture, making this popular with tourists. And thanks to a half-decent public transport system that would be unheard of in the UK, the city's Metro manages to carry over 900 million people a year.
• It is not all good news though. As with any modern megacity, traffic is a huge issue thanks to overcrowded roads, and decent housing is hard to find... even if you have tonnes of cash.