This is a list of metropolitan areas in Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

with the largest population according to several sources. The Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

n continent is one of the fastest-growing continents in the World, with increasing urbanisation and a high growth rate for cities. Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 is the world's largest metropolitan area by population. Many other cities, such as Delhi

Delhi

Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

, Karachi

Karachi

Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

, Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

, and Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

 are important metropolis

Metropolis

A metropolis is a very large city or urban area which is a significant economic, political and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections and communications...

es.

Ranking and its basis

The population of the given cities are obtained from five different sources -

• The World Gazetteer
• City Population
• Demographia
• United Nations
  United Nations
  The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
  
   World Urbanisation Prospects
• National Official Estimate (NOE)

Out of these five sources, the highest estimate is shown in bold. The cities are ranked on the basis of their highest estimate of population.

The cities are colored differently to indicate which part of Asia these cities belong to. The color code key is as follows :-
With 14 cities, East Asia

East Asia

East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...

 accounts for the largest number of cities under this list. South Asia

South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

, with 11 cities, comes second. Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

 accounts for five cities.

Rank	Metropolitan area	Metropolitan Area Image	Country	World Gazetteer (2010 est.)	City Population (2009 est.)	Demographia (2009 est.) name="Demographia">	UN WUP (2007 est.)	Official or Other	Est. Year
1	Tokyo Greater Tokyo Area The Greater Tokyo Area is a large metropolitan area in Kantō region, Japan, consisting of most of the prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tokyo . In Japanese, it is referred to by various terms, including the , , and others....			37,730,064	33,800,000	34,670,000	35,676,000	31,714,000	2005
2	Jakarta Jabotabek Jabotabek is an officially recognized definition and term given to the urban region surrounding Jakarta, Indonesia in 2000, officially including five municipalities and three regencies...			19,231,919	15,100,000	23,345,000	9,125,000	28,019,545	2010 Census Final
3	Seoul Seoul National Capital Area The Seoul National Capital Area is a region located in the north-west of South Korea. It is generally referred to as Sudogwon in Korean, and contains three different administrative districts; Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi-do....			22,692,652	23,900,000	19,660,000	9,796,000	24,472,000	2007
4	Delhi Delhi Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...			18,916,890	22,400,000	19,830,000	15,926,000	17,076,000	2008
5	Mumbai Mumbai metropolitan area The Mumbai Metropolitan Region /Mumbai Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area consisting of the metropolis of Mumbai and its satellite towns. Developing over a period of about 20 years, it consists of seven municipal corporations and fifteen smaller municipal councils...			21,900,967	22,300,000	20,400,000	18,978,000	17,800,000	2001
6	Manila Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...			20,654,307	19,200,000	20,075,000	11,100,000	11,553,427	2007
7	Shanghai Shanghai Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...			18,572,816	17,900,000	14,655,000	14,987,000	23,019,148	2003
8	Osaka			17,409,585	16,700,000	17,310,000	11,294,000	16,663,000	2005
9	Kolkata Kolkata metropolitan area Kolkata Metropolitan Area is the urban agglomeration of the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India.-Constituents:The KMA consists of :...			15,644,040	16,000,000	15,250,000	14,787,000	-	-
10	Karachi Karachi Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...			13,205,339	15,700,000	9,665,000	12,130,000	14,800,000	2006
11	Guangzhou Guangzhou Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...			5,745,024	15,300,000	11,850,000	8,829,000	12,700,800	-
12	Dhaka Dhaka Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...			14,327,157	13,100,000	10,190,000	13,485,000	12,797,394	2008
13	Shenzhen Shenzhen Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...			-	9,400,000	14,230,000	7,581,000	10,357,938	-
14	Tehran Tehran Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...			13,236,489	12,500,000	8,110,000	7,873,000	13,422,366	2006
15	Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...			12,522,839	13,200,000	12,780,000	11,106,000	19,612,368	2003
16	Bangkok Bangkok Metropolitan Area The Bangkok Metropolitan Region , also known as Greater Bangkok, is the urban conglomeration of Bangkok, Thailand, which includes the city and the 5 adjacent provinces of Nakhon Pathom, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon....			10,132,974	8,750,000	8,330,000	6,704,000	6,825,956	2006
17	Nagoya Chukyo Metropolitan Area , sometimes called the Chūkyō region , is the name of a major metropolitan area in Japan that is centered on the city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture. The area makes up the most urban part of the Tōkai region...			8,852,544	8,300,000	9,285,000	3,230,000	9,046,000	2005
18	Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...			9,222,709	7,200,000	7,000,000	7,206,000	-	-
19	Wuhan Wuhan Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...			4,731,497	9,000,000	5,185,000	7,243,000	9,785,392	-
20	Taipei Taipei-Keelung metropolitan area The Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area is the largest metropolitan area in the Republic of China . The metropolitan area includes Taipei City, New Taipei City, and Keelung City...			8,511,055	6,750,000	6,610,000	-	8,916,653	2010
21	Lahore Lahore Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...			7,129,609	8,300,000	7,005,000	6,577,000	7,850,000	2006
22	Tianjin Tianjin ' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...			6,426,104	8,200,000	8,340,000	7,180,000	12,938,224	-
23	Chennai Chennai Metropolitan Area The Chennai Metropolitan Area is the fourth largest metropolitan area in India and the 30th in the world in terms of population . The CMA consists of the metropolitan city of Chennai and its suburbs. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority is the nodal agency that handles town planning...			7,413,779	8,050,000	7,400,000	7,163,000	-	-
24	Kuala Lumpur Klang Valley Klang Valley is an area in Malaysia comprising Kuala Lumpur and its suburbs, and adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor. An alternative reference to this would be Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan Area or Greater Kuala Lumpur. It is geographically delineated by Titiwangsa Mountains to the...			8,063,230	4,700,000	5,715,000	-	4,525,000	2007
25	Chongqing Chongqing Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...			7,784,922	6,350,000	2,990,000	6,461,000	28,846,170	-
26	Bangalore Bangalore Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...			6,562,408	7,600,000	7,030,000	6,787,000	-	-
27	Hyderabad			6,383,850	7,350,000	6,815,000	6,376,000	-	-
28	Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...			5,381,158	5,650,000	7,005,000	5,314,000	-	-
29	Shenyang Shenyang Shenyang , or Mukden , is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtianfu...			6,618,933	5,150,000	4,965,000	4,787,000	8,106,171	-
30	Ahmedabad Ahmedabad Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...			5,413,622	5,800,000	5,265,000	5,375,000	-	-