With an estimated population of nearly 42 million residents, Jakarta soared from 33rd place in the previous rankings in 2018, when Tokyo was at the top.
Jakarta is followed by Dhaka, with 36 million, which the report says is expected to become "the world’s largest city by mid-century."
The new ranking speaks to the rapid change taking place across the world, with the rise of densely populated megacities.
Nearly half of the planet’s 8.2 billion people now live in cities, according to the "World Urbanization Prospects 2025" report, marking a twofold surge in urban dwellers over the last 75 years.
And nine out of the 10 most populated cities around the globe are located in Asia.
The only exception is the Egyptian capital, Cairo, which ranked seventh with a population of 25 million people — more than double the number of people living in New York City.
