Last week, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released a report, using UN Habitat data, of the most densely populated cities in the world. The population density was calculated as a measurement of how many people live per unit of area and is reported by inhabitants per square kilometer.
According to the report, Colombia’s second largest city of Medellín landed as the third most densely populated city in the world, with an average of 19,700 people per square km. Only Dhaka in Bangladesh and Mumbai in India ranked higher.
The World Economic Forum indicated that the population density is likely related to employment. Colombia’s economy has improved dramatically in recent years, but nearly all of those opportunities have been in the three largest cities, leaving small towns outside the city with higher unemployment and lower wages.
Below is the full list of the world’s most densely populated cities.
1. Daka, Bangladesh – 44,500
2. Mumbai, India – 31,700
3. Medellín, Colombia – 19,700
Belencito Corazón, in the Comuna 13, San Javier district of Medellín
4. Manila, Philippines – 14,800
5. Casablanca, Morocco – 14,200
6. Lagos, Nigeria – 13,300
7. Kota, India – 12,100
8. Singapore – 10,200
9. Jakarta, Indonesia – 9,600
10. Malé, Maldives
