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See also: Historical urban community sizes

The following is a table of the largest cities by estimated population in history. Many of the figures are uncertain, especially in ancient times.

Year Modelski (2003)[1] Chandler (1987)[2] Chandler & Fox (1974)[3]
population city

or
urban

 location

in
present
country

 population city

or
urban

 location

in
present
country

 population city

or
urban

 location

in
present
country
7000 B.C. 1-2,000 Jericho[4] West Bank            
ca. 6500 B.C. 5-10,000 Çatalhöyük[4][5] Turkey            
4000 B.C. 4,000 Eridu[4] Iraq            
3800–3700 B.C. < 10,000 Dobrovody[6] Ukraine            
3700 B.C. 6-10,000 Eridu Iraq            
3600–3500 B.C. < 10,000 Maydanets[6] Ukraine            
< 10,000 Talianki[6] Ukraine            
3500 B.C. 14,000 Uruk Iraq       20,000 Abydos Egypt
3300 B.C. 40,000 Uruk Iraq         Abydos Egypt
3200 B.C.       20,000 Abydos Egypt   Abydos Egypt
3100 B.C.       20,000 Memphis Egypt 20,000 Memphis Egypt
3000 B.C. 40,000 Uruk Iraq 30,000 Memphis Egypt 40,000 Memphis Egypt
2800 B.C. 80,000 Uruk Iraq   Memphis Egypt   Memphis Egypt
2500 B.C. [7]60,000 Lagash[8] Iraq   Memphis Egypt   Memphis Egypt
[7]20,000 Nippur Iraq
2400 B.C. [9]50,000 Mari Syria   Memphis Egypt   Memphis Egypt
[9]40,000 Umma Iraq
Ngirsu Iraq
Mohenjo-daro Pakistan
2300 B.C. [10]80,000 Ngirsu[8] Iraq   Memphis Egypt   Memphis Egypt
[10]50,000 Mari Syria
2250 B.C.       > 30,000 Memphis Egypt   Memphis Egypt
2240 B.C.         Akkad[11] Iraq   Akkad[11] Iraq
2200 B.C. 50,000 Ngirsu Iraq   Akkad Iraq   Akkad Iraq
2100 B.C. 100,000 Ur Iraq   Akkad Iraq 100,000 Ngirsu[8] Iraq
2075 B.C.       50,000 Ngirsu[8] Iraq   Ngirsu Iraq
2059 B.C.         Ngirsu Iraq   Thebes Egypt
2030 B.C.         Ur Iraq   Thebes Egypt
2000 B.C. 40,000 Isin Iraq 65,000 Ur Iraq   Thebes Egypt
Larsa Iraq
Ngirsu[12] Iraq
1991 B.C.         Ur Iraq 100,000 Memphis Egypt
1980 B.C.         Thebes Egypt   Memphis Egypt
1900 B.C. 40,000 Isin Iraq   Thebes Egypt   Memphis Egypt
Larsa Iraq
1800 B.C. 60,000 Mari Syria > 25,000 Thebes Egypt   Memphis Egypt
[13] 65,000
1770 B.C.       60,000 Babylon Iraq   Babylon Iraq
1700 B.C. 60,000 Babylon Iraq   Babylon Iraq   Babylon Iraq
1670 B.C.         Avaris[14] Egypt   Babylon Iraq
1650 B.C.       [15]100,000 Avaris Egypt   Babylon Iraq
1600 B.C. 50-100,000 Avaris[14] Egypt 100,000 Avaris Egypt   Babylon Iraq
1595 B.C.         Avaris Egypt   Avaris[14] Egypt
1580 B.C.         Avaris Egypt   Memphis Egypt
1557 B.C.         Memphis Egypt   Memphis Egypt
1500 B.C. 60,000 Thebes Egypt   Memphis Egypt   Memphis Egypt
1400 B.C. 80,000 Thebes Egypt   Thebes Egypt   Thebes Egypt
1375 B.C.       [15]100,000 Thebes Egypt   Thebes Egypt
1360 B.C.       80,000 Thebes Egypt 100,000 Thebes Egypt
1350 B.C.         Thebes Egypt   Memphis Egypt
1300 B.C. 120,000 Yinxu
(Anyang)		 China   Thebes Egypt   Memphis Egypt
1205 B.C.         Memphis[16] Egypt   Memphis Egypt
1200 B.C. 160,000 Pi-Ramses[14] Egypt 50,000 Memphis[16] Egypt > 50,000 Memphis Egypt
1188 B.C.         Thebes Egypt   Memphis Egypt
1184 B.C.       120,000 Thebes Egypt   Memphis Egypt
1100 B.C. 120,000 Pi-Ramses Egypt   Thebes Egypt   Memphis Egypt
1000 B.C. [17]120,000 Thebes Egypt > 50,000 Thebes[18] Egypt   Memphis Egypt
[13] 60,000
[17]100,000 Memphis Egypt > 50,000 Haoqing
(Xi'an)[18][19]		 China
Babylon Iraq [13] 55,000
Haoqing
(Xi'an)[19]		 China 50,000 Chengzhou
(Luoyang)[18][20]		 China
[15]100,000
900 B.C. 125,000 Haoqing China   Thebes Egypt   Memphis Egypt
800 B.C. 125,000 Haoqing China > 50,000 Thebes Egypt   Memphis Egypt
[13] 60,000
700 B.C. 100,000 Thebes Egypt   Thebes Egypt   Memphis Egypt
Memphis Egypt
Nineveh Iraq
Babylon[21] Iraq
Luoyi
(Luoyang)[20]		 China
Linzi China
668 B.C.       [15]100,000 Nineveh Iraq   Nineveh Iraq
650 B.C.       120,000 Nineveh Iraq 120,000 Nineveh Iraq
612 B.C.         Babylon Iraq   Babylon Iraq
600 B.C. 200,000 Babylon Iraq [15]100,000 Babylon Iraq 200,000 Babylon Iraq
Luoyi China
562 B.C.       200,000 Babylon Iraq 200,000 Babylon Iraq
500 B.C. 200,000 Babylon Iraq   Babylon Iraq   Babylon Iraq
Luoyi China
Linzi[22] China
479 B.C.         Babylon Iraq   Sravasti India
ca. 460 B.C.         Babylon Iraq   Rajagriha
(Rajgir)[23]		 India
440 B.C.         Babylon Iraq   Babylon Iraq
430 B.C.       200,000 Babylon Iraq 250,000 Babylon Iraq
400 B.C. 320,000 Xiadu China   Babylon Iraq   Babylon Iraq
320 B.C.       > 300,000 Alexandria Egypt > 300,000 Alexandria Egypt
300 B.C. 500,000 Carthage Tunisia   Pataliputra
(Patna)		 India   Pataliputra India
220 B.C.         Pataliputra India   Xianyang China
206 B.C.         Pataliputra India   Pataliputra India
200 B.C. 600,000 Alexandria Egypt 350,000 Pataliputra[24] India 350,000 Pataliputra India
400,000 Chang'an
(Xi'an)[19][24]		 China
195 B.C.         Chang'an China   Pataliputra India
190 B.C.         Chang'an China   Chang'an[19] China
170 B.C.         Chang'an China   Seleucia[25][26] Iraq
ca. 160 B.C.         Chang'an China   Chang'an[26] China
100 B.C. 1,000,000 Alexandria Egypt   Chang'an China   Chang'an China
25 B.C.         Rome Italy   Chang'an China
A.D. 1 800,000 Rome Italy   Rome Italy   Rome Italy
100 1,000,000 Rome Italy 450,000 Rome Italy 650,000 Rome Italy
180       600,000 Rome Italy 800,000 Rome Italy
200 1,200,000 Rome Italy   Rome Italy   Rome Italy
280       500,000 Rome Italy 650,000 Rome Italy
300 1,000,000 Rome Italy   Rome Italy   Rome Italy
340         Constantinople
(Istanbul)		 Turkey   Rome Italy
350         Constantinople Turkey   Constantinople Turkey
361       300,000 Constantinople Turkey 350,000 Constantinople Turkey
400 800,000 Rome Italy   Constantinople Turkey   Constantinople Turkey
410         Constantinople Turkey   Pataliputra India
450         Constantinople Turkey 500,000 Constantinople Turkey
500 500,000 Constantinople Turkey 400,000 Constantinople Turkey 500,000 Constantinople Turkey
Jiankang
(Nanjing)		 China
Luoyang[20] China
570         Ctesiphon[25] Iraq 500,000 Constantinople Turkey
575       500,000 Ctesiphon Iraq 500,000 Constantinople Turkey
600 600,000 Constantinople Turkey 500,000 Ctesiphon Iraq 500,000 Constantinople Turkey
622       500,000 Ctesiphon Iraq 500,000 Constantinople Turkey
637       400,000 Chang'an[19] China 500,000 Constantinople Turkey
650         Chang'an China 500,000 Chang'an[19] China
700 1,000,000 Chang'an[19] China 800,000 Chang'an China 1,000,000 Chang'an China
750       800,000 Chang'an China > 1,000,000 Chang'an China
775       600,000 Baghdad Iraq   Baghdad[27] Iraq
800 800,000 Chang'an China 700,000 Baghdad Iraq 800,000 Chang'an[27] China
700,000 Baghdad[27] Iraq
833       900,000 Baghdad Iraq 900,000 Baghdad Iraq
900 900,000 Baghdad Iraq 900,000 Baghdad Iraq 900,000 Baghdad Iraq
925       1,100,000 Baghdad Iraq   Baghdad Iraq
932       1,100,000 Baghdad Iraq 1,100,000 Baghdad Iraq
935       450,000 Cordova Spain 450,000 Cordova Spain
1000 [28]1,200,000 Baghdad Iraq 450,000 Cordova Spain 450,000 Cordova Spain
1013       400,000 Kaifeng China 450,000 Constantinople Turkey
1050       400,000 Kaifeng China 500,000 Constantinople Turkey
1071       400,000 Kaifeng China 400,000 Kaifeng China
1100 1,200,000 Baghdad Iraq 442,000 Kaifeng China 442,000 Kaifeng China
1102       442,000 Kaifeng China 442,000 Kaifeng China
1126       420,000 Kaifeng China 420,000 Kaifeng China
1127       200,000 Constantinople Turkey 300,000 Constantinople[29] Turkey
1145       200,000 Merv Turkmenistan 300,000 Constantinople[29] Turkey
1150       200,000 Merv Turkmenistan 300,000 Constantinople[29] Turkey
1153       200,000 Constantinople Turkey 300,000 Constantinople[29] Turkey
1160       200,000 Constantinople Turkey 250,000 Fez Morocco
1170       200,000 Fez Morocco 250,000 Fez Morocco
1180       200,000 Hangzhou China 250,000 Polonnaruwa Sri Lanka
1200 1,000,000 Baghdad Iraq 255,000 Hangzhou China 255,000 Hangzhou China
Hangzhou China
Kaifeng China
1201       260,000 Hangzhou China 260,000 Hangzhou China
1250       320,000 Hangzhou China 320,000 Hangzhou China
1273       432,000 Hangzhou China 432,000 Hangzhou China
1300 1,500,000 Hangzhou China 432,000 Hangzhou China 432,000 Hangzhou China
1315       432,000 Cairo Egypt   Hangzhou China
1325       500,000 Cairo Egypt 500,000 Cairo Egypt
1348       432,000 Hangzhou China 500,000 Cairo Egypt
1350       432,000 Hangzhou China 450,000 Cairo Egypt
1358         Jinling
(Nanjing)		 China   Cairo Egypt
1391       473,000 Jinling China   Cairo Egypt
1400 1,000,000 Jinling
(Nanjing)		 China 487,000 Jinling China 473,000 Jinling
(Nanjing)		 China
1420         Jinling China 450,000 Beijing China
1425         Beijing China   Beijing China
1450       600,000 Beijing China 600,000 Beijing China
1492       669,000 Beijing China 669,000 Beijing China
1500 1,000,000 Beijing China 672,000 Beijing China 672,000 Beijing China
1550       690,000 Beijing China 690,000 Beijing China
1575       706,000 Beijing China 706,000 Beijing China
1579       706,000 Beijing China 706,000 Beijing China
1600 1,000,000 Beijing China 706,000 Beijing China 706,000 Beijing China
1635         Beijing China 660,000 Agra India
1637         Beijing China 700,000 Istanbul[30] Turkey
1650       700,000 Istanbul[30] Turkey 700,000 Istanbul Turkey
1670         Istanbul Turkey 500,000 Delhi India
1675       750,000 Istanbul Turkey 500,000 Delhi India
1684         Istanbul Turkey 540,000 Paris France
1685         Istanbul Turkey   Istanbul Turkey
1690       700-800,000 Istanbul Turkey 700-800,000 Istanbul Turkey
1700 1,000,000 Ayutthaya Thailand 700,000 Istanbul Turkey 700,000 Istanbul Turkey
600-700,000 Beijing China
1710         Beijing China   Beijing China
1750       900,000 Beijing China 900,000 Beijing China
1775       1,000,000 Beijing China   Beijing China
1800 1,100,000 Beijing China 1,100,000 Beijing China 1,100,000 Beijing China
1821       1,300,000 Beijing China 1,300,000 Beijing China
1825       1,350,000 Beijing China 1,350,000 Beijing China
1,335,000 London
(urban area)		 United Kingdom 1,335,000 London
(urban area)		 United Kingdom
1841       1,948,000 London United Kingdom 2,235,000 London United Kingdom
1850       2,320,000 London United Kingdom 2,320,000 London United Kingdom
1851       2,362,000 London United Kingdom 2,362,000 London United Kingdom
1861       2,803,000 London United Kingdom   London United Kingdom
1875       4,241,000 London United Kingdom 4,241,000 London United Kingdom
1900 6,500,000 London United Kingdom 6,480,000 London United Kingdom 6,480,000 London United Kingdom
1914       7,419,000 London United Kingdom   London United Kingdom
1925       7,774,000 New York
(urban area)		 United States 7,774,000 New York
(urban area)		 United States
1936       10,150,000 New York United States   New York United States
1950       12,463,000 New York United States 12,500,000 New York United States
1962       [31]15,755,000 New York United States   New York United States
1965       15,000,000 Tokyo
(urban area)		 Japan 15,000,000 Tokyo
(urban area)		 Japan
1968       [31]20,500,000 Tokyo Japan [31]20,500,000 Tokyo Japan
1970       [31]20,450,000 Tokyo Japan [31]21,000,000 Tokyo Japan
1975       20,500,000 Tokyo Japan      

References

  1. ^ George Modelski, World Cities: –3000 to 2000, Washington DC: FAROS 2000, 2003. ISBN 0-9676230-1-4. Figures in main tables are preferentially cited. Part of former estimates can be read at Evolutionary World Politics Homepage.
  2. ^ Tertius Chandler, Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth: An Historical Census, Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1987. ISBN 0-88946-207-0. Figures in main tables are preferentially cited. Part of Chandler's estimates are summarized or modified at The Institute for Research on World-Systems; Largest Cities Through History by Matt T. Rosenberg; or The Etext Archives. Chandler defined a city as a continuously built-up area (urban) with suburbs but without farmland inside the municipality.
  3. ^ Tertius Chandler and Gerald Fox, 3000 Years of Urban Growth, New York, NY: Academic Press, 1974. ISBN 0-12-785109-7. Figures in main tables are preferentially cited.
  4. ^ a b c Suggested to be the largest cities in Modelski's text, but not given constantly prior to 3700 B.C (p. 3, p. 17, and p. 20). No entry is suggested for the Halafian and Ubaid periods.
  5. ^ The rough year that Çatalhöyük was supposed to be the largest is not given in Modelski's text which cites Ian Hodder's report (p. 3 and p. 17). The year 6500 B.C. is based on the recent report by Hodder (Inhabiting Çatalhöyük: Reports from the 1995-99 Seasons (Çatalhöyük Research Project), Cambridge, UK: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, 2005.) where less inhabitants (1,500 to 2,000) are suggested by Craig Cessford (pp. 323-326).
  6. ^ a b c Suggested to be housing up to 10,000 people in Modelski'w text (pp. 24–25), but only Eridu is listed as the largest city in Table 2 (a) (p. 22). The estimate is based on the author's personal communication with Mikhail Videiko, Institute of Archaeology, Kiev, October 2002 (p. 75). The previous estimates by S. I. Kruts for Maydanets and Talianki are 8,000 (1,575 housed within 270 ha) and 14,000 (2,700 houses within 450 ha), respectively (Pitskhelauri, K. N., and Chernykh, E. N. Eds., Kavkaz v sisteme paleometallicheskikh kultur Evrazii, Metsniereba, Tbilisi, 1989, pp. 146–156.).
  7. ^ a b According to Modelski’s list of world’s largest cities (p. 218), Nippur shares the top with Lagash with 60,000 inhabitants in 2500 B.C., though Table 2 (b) suggests that the population of Nippur is 20,000, the value of which is even lower than those estimated for Mari (50,000); Uruk and Umma (40,000); Memphis, Ebla, Urkesh, and Shuruppak (30,000) (p. 28).
  8. ^ a b c d Ngirsu (Telloh), the later capital of the state of Lagash, was situated 25 km NW of Lagash (Tell al Hiba), though both sites are frequently referred as Lagash.
  9. ^ a b According to Modelski’s list of world’s largest cities (p. 218), Ngirsu shares the top with Mari with 50,000 inhabitants, though Table 2 (b) suggests that the population of Ngirsu as well as Umma and Mohenjo-daro is 40,000 (p. 28).
  10. ^ a b According to Modelski’s list of world’s largest cities (p. 218), the population of Ngirsu for 2300 B.C. is estimated as 50,000, which is less than that appears in Table 2 (b) and is the same value with that estimated for Mari (p. 28).
  11. ^ a b Location uncertain. Maybe west of Sippar.
  12. ^ Modelski’s list of world’s largest cities (p. 218) excludes Ngirsu for 2000 B.C., though Table 2 (b) lists Ngirsu with 40,000 inhabitants (p. 28).
  13. ^ a b c d Interpolated values given by Christopher Chase-Dunn (citypop5.xls) or Chase-Dunn and Willard (oct2k1.xls).
  14. ^ a b c d The palace of Pi-Ramses (Qantir) was founded 2 km NE of Avaris (or Hawaret, Tell el-Dab'a), the residential area of which overlaps.
  15. ^ a b c d e When the city first passed 100,000, suggested by Richard Forstall (pp. 541-542).
  16. ^ a b According to Chandler’s list of the largest cities (pp. 523-527), Thebes was the largest for 1400-668 B.C., but Memphis was also supposed to be somewhat larger during 1205-1188 (p. 94, p. 460).
  17. ^ a b Modelski’s list of the world’s largest cities treats Thebes and Haoqing as the top cities with 100,000 inhabitants (p. 218), though the same list on the next page (p. 219) as well as Table 2 (c) place the population of Thebes at 120,000, while that for Haoqing as well as Memphis and Babylon at 100,000 (pp. 33-34).
  18. ^ a b c Chandler listed Thebes, Haoqing, and Chengzhou (Luoyang) as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd largest cities (p. 460), though Luoyang is supposed to pass 100,000 in 1000 B.C. (p. 541).
  19. ^ a b c d e f g Haoqing, the capital of Western Zhou, was located 15 km SW of Chang'an, the capital of Sung and Tang dynasties as well as the present center of Xi'an. Han capital was located 5 km NW of the center of modern Xi'an. All these sites are now within the sub-provincial city of Xi'an.
  20. ^ a b c Chengzhou was founded on the east side of the Luo river with Wangzheng on the west side. Both cities were later annexed to form Luoyi (Luoyang), the center of which has often shifted.
  21. ^ According to Modelski’s list of world’s largest cities (p. 219), the population of Babylon for 700 B.C. is estimated as 120,000, which makes Babylon the only city to appear as the largest, while Table 8 (a) shows that Babylon has 100,000 inhabitants in 700 B.C. (p. 55).
  22. ^ Modelski’s list of world’s largest cities (p. 219) excludes Linzi for 500 B.C., though Table 5 (a) lists Linzi with 200,000 inhabitants (p. 41).
  23. ^ The estimated year Sravasti was surpassed by Rajagriha is not given in Chandler and Fox’s list (pp. 362-364).
  24. ^ a b Accoding to Chandler’s list of the largest cities (pp. 523-527), Pataliputra was the largest for 300 to 195 B.C., but Chang'an is listed as the largest already in 200 B.C. (p. 462).
  25. ^ a b Seleucia was founded on the right bank of Tigris opposite to Ctesiphon. Figures for Seleucia include the population of Ctesiphon as a suburb during the Seleucid era and vice versa during the Sassanid era.
  26. ^ a b Seleucia was supposed to stand first briefly just after Antiochus IV overran part of Egypt in 170 B.C., though the precise year Chang’an recovered the lead is not given in Chandler and Fox’s list (pp. 362-364).
  27. ^ a b c Although Chandler and Fox presumed that Baghdad was the world’s largest citity from 775 to 935 (p. 363), Chang'an is still listed as the largest in the year 800 (p. 306).
  28. ^ Modelski’s list of world’s largest cities (p. 219) estimates the population of Baghdad for A.D. 1000 as 1,500,000, which is much higher than the value listed in Table 8 (b) (1,200,000 inhabitants) (p. 55).
  29. ^ a b c d Although Kaifeng is obscurely treated as the most populous city until 1160 (p. 363), Kaifeng is ranked as the fifth largest city with 175,000 people in 1150, while Constantinople is listed as the largest city (p. 310). Surely Chandler and Fox have mistakenly omitted the statement that Constantinople is briefly the largest after the fall of Kaifeng to the Jurchens.
  30. ^ a b Includes Üsküdar in Asia Minor as a suburb.
  31. ^ a b c d e Data from Richard Forstall's table for Rand McNally & Co.

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