Fastest-growing cities — 2026
Average annual growth of urban-area population between 2015 and 2025, for the 511 urban areas above one million people (UN World Urbanization Prospects 2025). Aleppo in Syria grew fastest at +10.1% a year — at that pace a city doubles in about 7 years. Most of the list is in Africa and South Asia.
Top 15
Top 100
| Rank | Urban area | Country | Growth /yr 2015–25 | 2025 | 2050 (proj.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Aleppo | Syria | +10.14% | 2,922,277 | 4,318,836 |
| #2 | Luxor | Egypt | +7.94% | 4,188,023 | 7,569,654 |
| #3 | Mogadishu | Somalia | +6.94% | 4,399,430 | 7,194,603 |
| #4 | Cabinda | Angola | +6.16% | 1,157,345 | 2,386,456 |
| #5 | Austin | United States | +5.47% | 1,513,032 | 2,224,443 |
| #6 | Kishoreganj | Bangladesh | +5.45% | 1,324,096 | 2,479,202 |
| #7 | Lubango | Angola | +5.10% | 1,280,986 | 2,524,575 |
| #8 | Hargeisa | Somalia | +5.08% | 1,593,542 | 2,505,080 |
| #9 | San Antonio | United States | +4.98% | 1,686,163 | 2,432,647 |
| #10 | Luanda | Angola | +4.81% | 11,370,127 | 20,286,119 |
| #11 | Mehsi | India | +4.78% | 2,018,610 | 3,063,220 |
| #12 | Kozhikode | India | +4.68% | 6,123,872 | 7,104,281 |
| #13 | Kananga | DR Congo | +4.48% | 1,504,370 | 2,795,451 |
| #14 | Lubumbashi | DR Congo | +4.44% | 2,832,853 | 5,257,654 |
| #15 | Abuja | Nigeria | +4.33% | 1,373,722 | 2,425,153 |
| #16 | Kigali | Rwanda | +4.24% | 1,483,711 | 2,300,975 |
| #17 | Al Zaqaziq | Egypt | +4.19% | 1,416,734 | 2,289,657 |
| #18 | Pointe-Noire | Republic of the Congo | +4.14% | 1,662,537 | 2,846,263 |
| #19 | Dar es Salaam | Tanzania | +4.11% | 7,795,114 | 13,159,908 |
| #20 | Maharajganj | India | +4.03% | 1,601,258 | 2,350,572 |
| #21 | Antananarivo | Madagascar | +4.02% | 3,916,219 | 6,009,295 |
| #22 | Lusaka | Zambia | +4.01% | 3,510,723 | 6,550,068 |
| #23 | Yaoundé | Cameroon | +3.96% | 5,106,087 | 8,661,147 |
| #24 | Cần Thơ | Vietnam | +3.93% | 1,327,741 | 1,413,715 |
| #25 | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia | +3.89% | 6,705,705 | 10,782,580 |
| #26 | Sekondi-Takoradi | Ghana | +3.83% | 1,127,436 | 1,627,013 |
| #27 | Bamako | Mali | +3.82% | 4,244,881 | 7,639,829 |
| #28 | Batam City | Indonesia | +3.79% | 1,500,354 | 2,687,027 |
| #29 | Owerri | Nigeria | +3.75% | 3,833,343 | 6,804,817 |
| #30 | Uyo | Nigeria | +3.72% | 1,567,115 | 2,542,918 |
| #31 | Herat | Afghanistan | +3.67% | 1,259,425 | 1,768,419 |
| #32 | Shymkent | Kazakhstan | +3.61% | 1,184,337 | 1,524,175 |
| #33 | Dubai | United Arab Emirates | +3.59% | 5,283,789 | 6,851,740 |
| #34 | Freetown | Sierra Leone | +3.54% | 1,935,761 | 2,650,410 |
| #35 | Ponnani | India | +3.53% | 2,409,567 | 2,865,843 |
| #36 | Banha | Egypt | +3.49% | 2,088,520 | 3,671,135 |
| #37 | Houston | United States | +3.49% | 3,955,046 | 5,479,773 |
| #38 | Kumasi | Ghana | +3.48% | 4,297,984 | 5,448,725 |
| #39 | Nouakchott | Mauritania | +3.47% | 1,561,617 | 2,633,046 |
| #40 | Bobo-Dioulasso | Burkina Faso | +3.45% | 1,125,023 | 1,465,665 |
| #41 | Kollam | India | +3.45% | 3,074,562 | 3,612,611 |
| #42 | Thrissur | India | +3.44% | 1,371,675 | 1,604,841 |
| #43 | Kampala | Uganda | +3.44% | 4,880,943 | 7,893,623 |
| #44 | Brazzaville | Republic of the Congo | +3.42% | 3,656,322 | 5,730,423 |
| #45 | Warri | Nigeria | +3.41% | 1,607,702 | 2,420,925 |
| #46 | N'Djaména | Chad | +3.35% | 1,934,909 | 3,044,505 |
| #47 | Douala | Cameroon | +3.33% | 4,104,516 | 6,448,516 |
| #48 | Dighwara | India | +3.31% | 2,469,443 | 3,631,651 |
| #49 | Samarinda | Indonesia | +3.29% | 1,325,554 | 2,138,226 |
| #50 | Port Harcourt | Nigeria | +3.29% | 2,341,445 | 3,172,749 |
| #51 | Sana'a | Yemen | +3.25% | 4,018,856 | 5,664,924 |
| #52 | Ouagadougou | Burkina Faso | +3.23% | 3,206,222 | 4,401,534 |
| #53 | Kinshasa | DR Congo | +3.23% | 10,943,641 | 13,210,577 |
| #54 | Brahmanbaria | Bangladesh | +3.23% | 2,914,727 | 5,044,807 |
| #55 | Gyanpur | India | +3.22% | 1,237,249 | 1,846,032 |
| #56 | Tshikapa | DR Congo | +3.20% | 1,054,686 | 1,702,742 |
| #57 | Kuwait City | Kuwait | +3.19% | 4,265,132 | 5,325,605 |
| #58 | Doha | Qatar | +3.18% | 2,193,708 | 2,826,374 |
| #59 | Aboh | Nigeria | +3.17% | 1,374,320 | 2,637,333 |
| #60 | Amman | Jordan | +3.14% | 6,403,666 | 8,393,062 |
| #61 | Ulaanbaatar | Mongolia | +3.12% | 1,596,556 | 2,068,478 |
| #62 | Onitsha | Nigeria | +3.12% | 5,627,706 | 8,680,997 |
| #63 | Cotonou | Benin | +3.09% | 2,506,489 | 3,444,190 |
| #64 | Karachi | Pakistan | +3.08% | 21,422,590 | 32,592,965 |
| #65 | Bujumbura | Burundi | +3.08% | 1,246,960 | 1,930,636 |
| #66 | San Pedro Sula | Honduras | +3.07% | 1,299,457 | 1,609,557 |
| #67 | Bibhutpur | India | +3.05% | 1,904,411 | 2,776,110 |
| #68 | Tegucigalpa | Honduras | +3.02% | 1,607,033 | 1,949,135 |
| #69 | Savar | Bangladesh | +3.00% | 3,557,381 | 5,987,261 |
| #70 | Astana | Kazakhstan | +2.94% | 1,065,387 | 1,110,354 |
| #71 | Ganzhou | China | +2.92% | 1,216,248 | 1,180,168 |
| #72 | Wuhu | China | +2.85% | 1,631,043 | 1,527,205 |
| #73 | Ta'izz | Yemen | +2.83% | 1,586,739 | 2,422,896 |
| #74 | Al Hillah | Iraq | +2.82% | 1,055,267 | 2,062,503 |
| #75 | Kabul | Afghanistan | +2.78% | 5,635,737 | 8,003,002 |
| #76 | Damascus | Syria | +2.77% | 4,287,746 | 6,336,460 |
| #77 | Serrekunda | Gambia | +2.76% | 1,156,903 | 1,535,965 |
| #78 | Nairobi | Kenya | +2.76% | 6,134,334 | 8,514,575 |
| #79 | Ashgabat | Turkmenistan | +2.75% | 1,218,323 | 1,758,326 |
| #80 | Cape Town | South Africa | +2.70% | 4,508,921 | 6,127,476 |
| #81 | Johannesburg | South Africa | +2.69% | 7,077,175 | 8,916,021 |
| #82 | Tangshan | China | +2.65% | 2,286,763 | 2,438,747 |
| #83 | Karbala | Iraq | +2.64% | 1,022,893 | 1,566,924 |
| #84 | Abidjan | Ivory Coast | +2.63% | 6,621,711 | 9,775,147 |
| #85 | Dushanbe | Tajikistan | +2.62% | 1,440,787 | 2,096,534 |
| #86 | Faisalabad | Pakistan | +2.61% | 5,566,382 | 7,311,253 |
| #87 | Dhaka | Bangladesh | +2.59% | 36,585,479 | 52,122,843 |
| #88 | Kirkuk | Iraq | +2.56% | 1,153,160 | 1,675,853 |
| #89 | Pretoria | South Africa | +2.52% | 1,836,166 | 2,329,108 |
| #90 | Handan | China | +2.51% | 1,777,172 | 1,634,442 |
| #91 | Lahore | Pakistan | +2.51% | 15,156,430 | 20,388,443 |
| #92 | Hajipur | India | +2.51% | 9,941,510 | 13,694,623 |
| #93 | Medina | Saudi Arabia | +2.48% | 1,432,287 | 2,100,837 |
| #94 | Al-Najaf | Iraq | +2.45% | 1,273,450 | 1,761,206 |
| #95 | Panama City | Panama | +2.44% | 1,527,393 | 1,822,485 |
| #96 | Asyut | Egypt | +2.44% | 1,406,963 | 2,027,020 |
| #97 | Erbil | Iraq | +2.43% | 1,582,829 | 2,503,739 |
| #98 | Barharia | India | +2.43% | 1,038,927 | 1,384,888 |
| #99 | Almaty | Kazakhstan | +2.43% | 2,367,611 | 3,373,362 |
| #100 | Anyang | China | +2.41% | 1,489,112 | 1,345,521 |
Other rankings
Largest cities, Largest countries by population, Smallest countries and territories by population, Fastest-growing countries, Fastest-shrinking countries, Highest birth rates, Lowest birth rates.
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The definition determines the ranking
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.