8 Most Densely Populated Cities in the World

According to World Population Review, Manila is home to 119,600 people per square mile, although the city has a relatively low population of 1.8 million people.

Manila is also the capital of the Philippines and has been a major financial and shipping hub in the country for over a millennium. Manila's strategic position in the Pacific has led to its active economy.

However, it's also given foreign colonizers reason to take advantage of the Philippines, including Chinese and Hindu rulers in ancient times, then Islamic and Spanish occupation in the 1500s.

In 1898, the United States seized Manila from Spanish forces during the Spanish-American war. Then the city was invaded by the Japanese military during Word War II. It wasn't until 1948 that Manila officialy claimed independence along with the rest of the country.

The Philippines is home to many cities of the highest population density, with second being Pateros, at 94,400 citizens per square mile. Despite its high density, Pateros is actually a tiny village of less than one square mile, with about 65,000 total population. Pateros was previously known for duck farming and fishing, but water pollution has caused these industries to decline. However, salted duck eggs are still a popular food to find within the village.

Mandaluyong is a city just a few miles east of Manila. While they could be considered a part of the same metropolitan area, Mandaluyong is legally its own city, with a population density of 90,460 per square mile.

This city has faced many of the same political struggles as the capital, which makes sense, considering its close proximity. Today, Mandaluyong is home to one of the largest financial districts in the Philippines, along with high-rise apartments and luxury shopping centers.

Baghdad is the capital of Iraq. As the country's largest city, it is one of the busiest areas in the Middle East. Baghdad is also one of the oldest active cities in the world, having been founded in 762 C.E.

Today, the city is home to 85,140 people per square mile, along with a total population of about 7 million. The city is also home to some of earliest surviving examples of Islamic architecture known today.

Throughout the 20th century, Baghdad had been at the center of conflicts with other Arab states, culminating in the 2003 invasion of Iraq which plunged the city into turmoil for years. Today, Baghdad is on its way to recovering economically thanks to active industrial infrastructure that includes steel manufacturing and oil production.

Mumbai is the largest city in India and widely considered the financial hub of South Asia. The Mumbai metro area boasts a staggering population of over 23 million people, along with a population density of 83,660 people per square mile.

The city is home to the Indian stock exchange, raking in money from all over the country, but it also features a massive shipping industry which has been active for centuries.

Dhaka is the largest city in Bangladesh, as well as its official capital.

Over the last 150 years, the city has become home to massive industrialization, including a shipping port and textile manufacturing district. The need for labor has brought over 22 million people into the area and counting, with a population density of 75,290 per square mile.

Caloocan is the final Filipino city to be featured in this piece, and yet another one that borders on the Manila metropolitan area. Caloocan was a site for battles with Imperial Japan during World War II, but has since been rebuilt to become a hub for the country's textile industry, as well as food production.

Today, the city is home to 72,490 people per square mile.

Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haiti as well as the prime hub of its shipping economy. The city is located in a perfect strategic position when it comes to international trade through North America, South America, and the Caribbean.

However, Haiti has been the subject of turmoil for centuries, including French colonization, the slave trade, economic sanctions and multiple natural disasters.

The economic state of Haiti doesn't leave a lot of job opportunities. As a result, nearly 20 percent of the country's population has flooded the Port-au-Prince area to support the shipping business and related industries. As of 2024, the population density is 70,950 people per square mile.

It can be easy to mix the key geographical term of population density with a city's total population. While cities with high population growth can also contain high population densities, general population refers to the number of individuals living within the city, while population density is a function of population over the total land area of the city.

Therefore, the most densely populated cities have the most people living in the smallest urban area. To judge cities by highest population density, we went by data published by the World Population Review. This data studies the number of individuals per square mile for the most densely populated cities according 2024 census.