Most Densely Populated Places On The Planet

In 1804, the world population hit 1 billion for the first time ever. The world’s population has grown exponentially since then, hitting a staggering 8 billion people just 218 years later! What’s scary is that this trend is showing no signs of slowing down, and all those people have to live somewhere! Let's explore some of the most densely populated places in the world right now, and what it’s like to live there!

Hong Kong

Did you know that the city with the most Rolls Royces per person is Hong Kong? It’s no surprise there are so many of these luxurious rides around, while Hong Kong may be incredibly dense, it’s also incredibly rich, home to 96 billionaires, putting it in 2nd place on the list of cities with the most billionaires.

In 2023, the population hit 7.5 million and is expected to reach 8.5 million by 2041, with population density more than 17,000 people in a single square mile, for perspective, if you were to lay them out in a square grid, they’re only be 45 ft between each person.

Ultimately, Hong Kong stands as one of the most urbanized places globally, with every single resident living in a city environment. All this clamoring for space must mean housing competition is pretty fierce, right? You bet. Hong Kong has earned its spot as one of the most expensive housing markets on the planet, outpricing even Seoul, Taipei, and Bangkok.

According to a 2017 survey, the median home costs a staggering 18 times the median annual income, and that’s just the average. That means someone making the average salary of around $55,000 a year needs to stash away $990,000 just to afford a home. For the super-rich, this is peanuts. The less fortunate like the elderly, those suffering from addiction, and the mentally ill are consigned to living in coffin houses.

These are tiny apartments often measuring just 3 ft x 6 ft, that's smaller than a Hong Kong prison cell and, if you can believe it, smaller than a standard US parking space.

Even if you try to escape Hong Kong, don’t think you’ll flee the crowds. The post below shows the congestion on the 50 lane Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway. That was back in 2015 during Golden Week, a Chinese national holiday, so roads are a little busier than usual. And with that, you're probably never complaining about your rush hour ever again.

Shenzhen

The Chinese megacity of Shenzhen once looked very different. While you might think that all that development must have taken over 50 years, it took only 35 years! Back in 1980, Shenzhen had a population of 58,000. Today, it's home to 17.56 million people, crammed together at 23,000 per square mile, making it the most crowded city in all of China.

And China isn't exactly empty, being home to over 1.4 billion people, some areas are so overpopulated, schools have to accommodate mass testing by having up to 1700 pupils all take the tests together on their playgrounds! There’s just not enough space anywhere else!

What exactly drew so many people to Shenzhen? It all goes back to May of 1980, right after the passing of Communist leader Chairman Mao. Stepping into the leadership role was Deng Xiaoping, a reformist who tweaked Mao's hardcore policies, shaping China into the economic powerhouse we know now. In 1980, Xiaoping declared Shenzhen the world's first special economic zone, where communist laws were loosened, and foreign investments and private businesses welcomed. Change was instant.

Construction sites sprouted; offices and factories shot up. Rural communities were eaten up as peasants were forced to leave their homes to make way for the city. These days, Shenzhen is a melting pot of migrants who come to work in factories and do various other jobs, though, many experience grueling conditions, low wages, and next to no labor protection.

And when it comes to crowds, there's no respite, the local Dameisha Beach in summer gets so crowded it has a dedicated booking system citizens use to reserve a time slot to use the beach!

Shenzhen sits within the Pearl River Delta, alongside 8 other cities like Guangzhou and Foshan. Big plans are on the horizon, with Chinese central planners aiming to merge these cities into one super-connected megalopolis by 2030. It’s like a tale of 2 cities, or in this case, 8.

Damascus

The Syrian city of Damascus is one of the world’s most densely populated places, with over 58,000 people per square mile, more than Shenzen & Hong Kong combined! Damascus is also one of the oldest continually inhabited cities globally, being founded in the 3rd millennium BCE. That makes it about as old as the Pyramids!

When you read about Syria, what probably comes to mind is the terrible civil war that began in the 2010s. As a result, nearly a million domestic migrants from other parts of Syria fled to the capital, which explains its high population density. In 2020, 4,000 Palestinian refugees came to Yarmouk camp despite the largely destroyed public infrastructure.

Due to being in the middle of a civil war, Damascus doesn't fare too well on the Global Livability Ranking. In 2022, it was listed as the least livable city on earth, scoring poorly on factors such as stability, healthcare, infrastructure, and education, like they didn't have it bad enough already.

This has come at a cost to its population: in 2010, Damascene fertility rates were set to fall from around 2.5 children per woman, to 1.4 children by 2025. Young people are delaying marriage, as some want to finish their studies to secure a better life, while others aren’t set up to cover traditional marriage costs. The Civil War doesn’t help either. So perhaps Damascus won’t be on this list much longer?

In spite of the turmoil, ordinary Damascus citizens carry on with life as best as they can. Take the Damascus Gate, for instance, it’s the world’s largest restaurant. It has over 6,000 seats and covers around 214,000 square feet, that’s three times as big as the White House! Probably has a more varied menu, too.

The world's Largest Restaurant by calpolyis

Malé

The Maldives is the classic tropical paradise, a hub of luxurious resorts and beautiful beaches. But did you know that this idyllic haven could soon be underwater? The chain of islands that compose the Maldives are under threat from rising sea levels brought about by climate change.

Take Malé, not only the most populated island in the Maldives but also the 5th most densely populated island globally. Malé’s population of 252,000 people spread over the 3.2 square mile island means on average 59,000 people are squeezed into a single square mile. That would be like 163 soccer players crowded onto a single field at once!

Malé is a bustling hub of trade and tourism, connecting Sri Lanka and India through trade routes. The population has surged due to job opportunities, better healthcare, education, and improved infrastructure. But with trade, comes trash. Every Malé tourist uses 132 gallons of water and produces around 8 lbs of waste a day!

Back in 1992, an artificial island, Thilafushi, was created to help solve Malé’s refuse problem, with more than 363 tons being dumped on this stinky isle daily. Unfortunately, the future of Malé isn’t looking too bright. The Maldives boasts the lowest elevation of any country worldwide, 80% of its land sits less than 3 ½ feet above sea level. As these levels rise, the islands will become more cramped with people whose homes have been washed away.

Trash island will also have progressively less room for storage. To alleviate the population of Malé and its ongoing coastal erosion, the government created Hulhumalé, a brand new island, in 1997. However, this too has now being developed to the point where it’s looking more like Male 2.0.

Dhaka

There’s nothing like driving along, tunes blaring, wind in your hair. But if you’re in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, your driving experience will be a lot less pleasant, as the traffic there is the 5th worst in the world. Drivers have to battle with over 1.8 million vehicles on a labyrinth of roads, with a car’s average speed being just 4.3 mph. This is expected to drop to a snail’s pace of 2.4 mph by 2035, meaning it’ll be quicker to walk than drive!

DHAKA TRAFFIC JAM 2016 | DHAKA CITY | Traffic Jam of Dhaka City, Bangladesh HD Part-1 by DhakaLive

The worst traffic jam in LA or even Mumbai has nothing on Dhaka, and if you thought you’d take a quiet trip on the train, you’ve got another thing coming. Every day, around 8,000-10,000 people clamber onto any available train, and I literally mean clamber, with all available space used, even the roof!

Most Crowded Train In The World Bangladesh and Indian Trains - Extreme Trip by TAJ Entertainment

In 2023, Dhaka’s population was 23.2 million, a whopping 13.6% of the entire country’s populace, which adds up to a population density of more than 60,000 people per square mile, and the city’s growing. Each year, 400,000 people stream into the capital. Many new residents are lured by better-paid work, and some even fleeing climate-caused disasters, creating a scarily unsustainable amount of growth.

Funnily enough, there’s been a recent trend of these low-income megacities. Back in the 1960s, countries earning less than $1,000 per person annually had a low urbanization rate of less than 10%. Fast-forward to 2011, and the urbanization rate in similarly developed countries rocketed up to 47%! This boom has led to megacities like Dhaka, that struggle with lackluster infrastructure and clogged traffic.

Port-au-Prince

The Caribbean country of Haiti has a current population somewhere around 11.45 million, and many of those citizens have had a rough time for the last 250 years. This country has been hit by invasions, unpayable debts, natural disasters, and political instability. And nowhere is the nation’s turbulent history more evident than in the its capital, Port-au-Prince.

In 2022, its population was estimated to be 1.2 million, meaning some 71,000 people are squeezed into every square mile. That’s more than two-and-a-half times the population density of even New York City. Rewinding to January 2010, a monstrous 7.0 earthquake levelled much of Port-au-Prince, costing the lives of over 200,000 people. Homes were shattered and survivors found themselves making do in overcrowded slums.

On July 7th, 2021, Haiti’s president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated amid protests over rising fuel prices. Since January 2023, the country has lacked a single democratically elected government official, and it’s unclear when the next presidential election will be held. As a result, around 150 dangerous gangs control more than 60% of the capital.

In Cité Soleil, the most deprived and densely populated commune within, gangs rule the streets. Essential resources like food and health services are scarce, thanks to the gangs blocking Cité Soleil’s entrances. Unsanitary conditions have worsened, leading to outbreaks of infectious diseases like cholera. Throughout these struggles, people have taken to the streets, demanding action against gangs and for better security.

Haitians protest against rising kidnappings and gang violence by Al Jazeera English

For the youth of Port-au-Prince, joining gangs might seem like the only path, but there's still hope. Charities and organizations are stepping in to provide a semblance of normalcy to young people in Port-au-Prince, offering games, dances, and a taste of childhood, even when life is anything but simple. With a country wide population of 11.45 million, though, they have their work cut out for them.

Bnei Brak

If you head over to Israel, get ready to see museums galore! Israel holds the record for the most museums per capita out of any country. That’s not the only thing it’s got a lot of, though, there are scores of people, too. Israel has a population of 9.3 million, and it’s predicted that by 2065, that number will be as high as 20 million, making it the most crowded country in the OECD; the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, to us non-geopolitical types, that’s some 38 countries that make up the Western world.

Nowhere is Israel more populated than in the city of Bnei Brak. In 2022, the population density was listed as 78,000 per sq. mile. About 95% of the community are Haredi, which means they’re ultra-orthodox jews.

If there’s one thing Israelis can be proud of, it’s that they’re one of the most fertile countries in the West. On average, haredi parents have just under 7 children. You might be thinking, how do you have just under 7 children? Do people have half children? No, that’s just how averages work. Anyway, like a lot of places mentioned so far, Bnei Brak struggles with poverty, and is one of the poorest cities in the country.

In 2017, 47% of employed residents were making minimum wage, or even less. Many rely on donations from fellow Haredi communities over in New York. During the pandemic, the infection rates in ultra-Orthodox parts of Israel were 4 to 8 times higher than anywhere else in the country, partly due to overcrowding and large families.

Even with these challenges, 98% of locals claim to lead a pretty satisfactory life. Only 8% consider themselves poor, and less than 10% go hungry because they don't have enough money. But how does this work? Well, Haredi folks live in tight-knit communities that function in their own little closed economy. Now that’s what you call community spirit!

Manila

You may have heard of the Thrilla in Manila, that epic match between Muhammad Ali and Smokin’ Joe Frazier that was one of the most hotly anticipated boxing matches of the century. What most viewers didn’t realize was that was about as hard as most Manilla citizens have to fight on a regular basis just to grab a parking space. As of 2023, the population of the Philippines’ capital is 14.6 million, squashed into roughly 16.56 square miles, that’s 111,000 people crammed into each square mile!

So, what’s causing everyone to flock to this place? Well, one of the reasons for Manila’s growth is rural poverty; people in the countryside have fewer opportunities, so they up sticks and move to the city. Manila is overflowing to the point where children have to go to school in 4-hour shifts throughout the day, with some classes starting at dawn! The Philippines also has a strong Catholic faith, and with subjects such as birth control considered taboo, it results in more young pregnancies.

All this has taken a toll on the wildlife; lack of sanitation means sewage and garbage end up clogging the Pasig River, which runs through Metro Manila. Sadly, the river was declared biologically dead in 1990. However, it’s not all bad; there have been attempts to rehabilitate the river, and renaturation programs have seen some species return.

The same positivity can’t be applied to Quezon City Jail, a 5.9-acre prison built for 800 prisoners, but as of 2016, houses 3,800. It makes the rest of Manila look like a national park.

160 to 200 people can end up crammed into a cell built for 20. Food rations are provided sporadically day and night, sometimes with bits of junk and cockroaches inside. Men must take turns sleeping wherever there’s room, be it on a damp floor, underneath a bed, and on staircase steps.

Migingo

In 2016, Migingo, a tiny little island, was the scene of an international squabble between Kenya and Uganda! Migingo’s story starts in 2004, when one eccentric fisherman who lived on the island caught an unbelievable amount of fish. The island itself is located in Lake Victoria, whose waters are precariously shared by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Word of the catch eventually spread, reaching Kenya and Uganda.

The island’s landmass is only 1/2 an acre, which is smaller than Bill Gates’ house! However, that didn’t discourage people from relocating there for those sweet, sweet fish. Or rather, the money that comes from those sweet, sweet fish. Nile perch is worth tens of millions of dollars in exports to the EU and beyond every year.

Sadly, and rather predictably, that money doesn’t all go to the fisherman doing the work, but they still make a living. In Migingo, fisherman have caught more than 220lbs of fish a day, which can earn them over $370. That’s around 3 to 4 times what the average Kenyan or Ugandan makes in a month. Though, this industry has taken its toll on the waters, with some fish stocks falling by 80%. Looks like there aren’t plenty more fish in the sea, or lake.

The 2009 Kenyan census put the population around 131 people, though other reports estimate it to be around 500. Whatever the number, that would make the density around 170,000 Migingons per square mile, though that many people don’t actually live there. Today, the island houses 4 bars, a pharmacy, a hair salon, and several, well, let’s say adult businesses.

Uganda and Kenya both claim ownership of the island, both keen to tax the fisherman. This makes Migingo one of the world’s tiniest territorial disputes. Don’t worry, the countries’ foreign ministers both stepped in before things escalated and now Uganda and Kenya co-manage the island. Now it’s like Migingo have two landlords!

Santa Cruz Del Islote

Set sail off the shores of Colombia's Gulf of Morrosquillo, and you'll stumble upon a tiny island named Santa Cruz del Islote. It's small, just 2.4 acres. That’s not even as big as two Football fields, less than 0.04 square miles, yet it's bustling with life.

Pinning down the exact number of residents is tricky, since a census hasn't occurred in decades, leading to estimates ranging from 500 to1,200 people. At the top end though, and scaled up, this means the island has a population density of over 250,000 people per square mile! That’s a population density at least four times that of Manhattan, New York!

If you were to venture back 150 years, you would have found Santa Cruz completely uninhabited, but eventually, fishermen discovered it while seeking shelter from storms. Unlike other islands that are surrounded by mosquito-attracting mangroves, Santa Cruz Island is parasite-free.

People flocked there for its bountiful fish and built on every available inch. The island's residents even extended its land by gathering whatever they could find, sand, shells, tree trunks, and even litter. Since 2017, the island boasts 97 houses and 47 permanent families who mainly rely on tourism for income.

Fishing was once the main source of profit but has been in decline due to climate change and unsustainable practices. That isn't the only problem facing Santa Cruz. It lacks basic facilities like toilets, sewage systems, drinkable water, and regular food supplies, all of which need to be imported.

Luckily, the islanders are resilient. They gather rainwater for drinking and washing. They manage with a single diesel generator, which only runs in the evenings due to cost. To lighten the load, solar panels were installed in 2015, courtesy of the Cartagena government. However, don’t go singing the government's praises too loudly. The authorities are supposed to deliver supplies and remove waste weekly, but often it takes weeks, if not months, for boats to arrive.

Dharavi

Let's hop over to India, the most populated country in the world, and head to Mumbai, one of the most populated cities in the world. And within this jammed city is the jammiest district of all, Dharavi. It's India's largest slum, housing around 1,000,000 people, with over 917,000 individuals per square mile.

In Dharavi, many of the houses lack running water, often more than 10 people share a single room, and more than 80 people can share a single toilet. Open sewers are all too common, leading to high disease rates that include cholera, diphtheria, tuberculosis, and typhoid.

Even with its challenges, life in Dharavi isn't all bad. Community spirit is strong, and people come together for everything, from washing dishes to doing laundry, in communal spaces. This unity might be a reason why, surprisingly, crime rates here are so low.

Don’t think that the Dharavi children are slackers either. School attendance is high, making Dharavi the most educated slum in the country with a literacy rate of 69%, only 10% lower than the USA. Well, that’s eye opening.

Despite its poverty, Dharavi is surrounded by industrial and financial hubs. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by developers, many of whom have repeatedly tried, and failed to build upon the land since the 1990s. To transform this area, three problems need to be tackled: big plots of land need to be snagged, investors lured, and new homes need to be found for the massive community. Not exactly easy requests!

For residents to be eligible for relocation, they must prove they've lived in Dharavi before January 1, 2000. However, up to 40% of the population lack the proper paperwork. To complicate matters further, by April 2023, the Mumbai government had only managed to get their hands on around 50 acres of tight-packed land for the relocated Dharavi population. Clearly, it is not their top priority.

Kowloon Walled City

Not too long ago, in an enclave of Hong Kong, was a city like no other, Kowloon Walled City. From the outside, you’d think it was a bunch of buildings built into each other, and you wouldn’t be wrong. This city complex was 6.4 acres in size, but packed inside were 50,000 people. That’s around 4.97 million people per square mile, nearly five times the density of even Dharavi.

Kowloon's history begins in 1843 during the Qing dynasty. The walled city was erected as a defense against British influence. After the Qing dynasty's fall, the British claimed ownership of the city but left it untouched. After World War II, waves of refugees flooded the Kowloon peninsula, including those fleeing the Chinese Civil War. By 1947, the city housed over 2,000 squatters. Unrestrained by any architectural rules, people began building on top of pre-existing structures left, right and center.

Eventually, the city morphed into 350 interconnected high-rise buildings, 10 to 14 stories high, each a mishmash of materials, sizes, and heights. Private landlords offering low rents attracted entrepreneurs, leading to hundreds of factories popping up within the complex, churning out products that were exported across the globe.

British Hong Kong chose to let things be, leading to an anarchic and self-governed city with no legal, business, tax, or healthcare regulations. This void saw addiction and the Triads, Chinese criminal gangs, thrive. However, don't let the bad rep get you down. Most of Kowloon’s citizens were ordinary and law-abiding, many of whom joined community groups seeking to improve life within Kowloon.

This way of life came to an end in the early 1970s, when over 3,500 police raids took place. Over 4,000 pounds of narcotics were seized and around 2,500 people were arrested. Subsequently, by 1987, both British and Chinese governments decided it was time to dismantle the city.

A hefty compensation of $350 million was distributed to residents and businesses before they were relocated. Between November 1991 and 1992, the final residents left, some willingly, some forced by riot police. After that, Kowloon was destroyed and, in 1993, Kowloon Walled City Park was built in its place.

I hope you were amazed at the most densely populated places on the planet! Thanks for reading.