| 1800 | |
| City | Population |
| Beijing, China | 1.10 million |
| London, United Kingdom | 0.86 |
| Guangzhou, China | 0.80 |
| Istanbul, Turkey | 0.57 |
| Paris, France | 0.55 |
| Hangzhou, China | 0.50 |
| Edo (later Tokyo), Japan | 0.49 |
| Naples (later part of Italy) | 0.43 |
| Suzhou, China | 0.39 |
| Osaka, Japan | 0.38 |
| 1900 | |
| City | Population |
| London, United Kingdom | 6.48 million |
| New York, United States | 4.24 |
| Paris, France | 3.33 |
| Berlin, Germany | 2.42 |
| Chicago, United States | 1.72 |
| Vienna, Austria | 1.66 |
| Tokyo, Japan | 1.50 |
| St. Petersburg, Russia | 1.44 |
| Philadelphia, United States | 1.42 |
| Manchester, United Kingdom | 1.26 |
| 2000 | |
| City | Population |
| Tokyo, Japan | 34.45 million |
| Mexico City, Mexico | 18.02 |
| New York City/Newark, United States | 17.85 |
| São Paulo, Brazil | 17.10 |
| Mumbai (Bombay), India | 16.09 |
| Delhi, India | 15.73 |
| Shanghai, China | 13.22 |
| Calcutta, India | 13.06 |
| Buenos Aires, Argentina | 11.85 |
| Los Angeles, United States | 11.81 |