World’s Largest Cities by Population (3700 BC – 2050 AD)
Video Overview & Insights
More stats here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZQ_7z0Zux8&list=PLEl9785jhnybobkmE-6_s_FqL-mP2tdQj
Thanks to everyone who flagged mistakes and shared helpful corrections—much appreciated. Constructive criticism is always welcome. I’m collecting all verified fixes, and once that’s done, I’ll re-release the video with updated information. Also to avoid confusion: The video presents historically largest cities within the borders of present-day countries for easier reference
This bar chart race explores the world’s largest cities by population, tracing how urban dominance has shifted from ancient civilizations to modern megacities between 3700 BC and 2050 AD. Watch as cities rise, peak, decline, and are replaced over thousands of years of human history.
Alongside the animated rankings, a world map displays the geographic location of each city, allowing you to see how population centers move across regions and continents over time. This combination of a dynamic bar chart race and a spatial map provides both historical context and geographic clarity.
Chongqing?
From early population hubs in Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley to today’s rapidly expanding metropolitan areas in Asia and Africa, the video captures the long-term evolution of urbanization in a clear, visual format.
The video highlights:
Ерунда
- The rise and fall of the world’s largest cities across history
- Shifts in population centers between continents and civilizations
Instabul in 640? Could you not use the proper name? 😮
- Geographic movement of major cities shown on a world map
- The transition from ancient cities to modern megacities
한반도의 도시는 몽골의 공격 전까지 일본의 도시보다 훨씬 거대하고 규모가 컸는데 이건 완전히 엉터리네ㅋㅋ
- Long-term global urbanization trends projected into the future
00:00 3700 BC Early City-States Emerge (Mesopotamia)
00:39 2300 BC First Megacities (Ur & Akkad)
05:15 100 AD Rome Becomes the World’s Largest City
Istanbul was Constantinople, now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople...
06:53 600 AD Shift Toward Asian Urban Centers
09:38 1200 AD Medieval Capitals Dominate (Hangzhou Era)
Constantinople is not instabul. Byzantine Empire has nothing to do with Moggolians. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos are also ancient Greek cities not Moggolians.
12:20 1500 AD Pre-Industrial Urban Peak
16:48 1800 AD Industrial Revolution Cities Rise
Dude ... BS
18:17 1900 AD Modern Megacity Era Begins
19:55 2000 AD Rapid Urbanization in Asia
Tenochtitclan was not founded until the 14th century and its population peaked at 200K in 1519.
More User Perspectives
😅 making joke of your ownself😂
@vinodvermajmuverma1803Harrapa ? Pakistan ??😂😂😂😂😂
@sahilsahrab8103Happy to see that Bengaluru is not in this list.
@YogaDay25Why is mexico city still called tinotchitlean but Instanbul never called constantinople?
@christopherstephenson7199Population Growth After the entire human population was wiped out during the Post Global Catastrophe #2 ... or 3 or 4 ???
@TonyMark-me5xbWhere is Mexico-Tenochtitlan in 1519?
@brianbrito5461Factually wrong video...there was no Pakistan... before 1947
@sriniwast6505PAKISTAN IS MENTIONED 2.4k BC
@sriniwast6505Yes, there are numerous mistakes. The one with Chibiri, Ghana is obvious. However, the strength of this presentation is the counter-narrative to the Eurocentric view taught in American schools. Outside of the Mediterranean areas of Europe (notably Greece and Rome) Europe was a bit of a backwater until the onset of the Middle Ages and really didn't begin to take off until Portugal and Spain took advantage of their access to the Atlantic to circumvent Turkish control of the Middle East and access to: 1) the wealth of the Western Hemisphere, and 2) the Far East. The political break with the Vatican in the 16th Century then enabled the Dutch, the British, and even the Catholic French to exploit their seaborne access to create new empires as the Spanish were left behind. Germany (and Japan) were late comers in the 19th Century. This was the rise of capitalist property relations and the end of feudalism. Historically speaking that is relatively recent history with the US only seriously emerging as a power within the last 200 years. India (multiple states) and China lost their positions in the 19th Century. This is not taught in American schools.
That Eurocentrism infuses the white supremacy that is presently restoring its reactionary grip in American society. This presentation helps people to see the even greater historical inaccuracy of that viewpoint.
Scales are terrible
@StargazersAndHoodpoopersI have no idea about bronze age populations, neither do you or anybody else. I do know that Athens had massive walls dated at least 2000 BCE. That indicates significant status and population I guess when your top city at the time shows 40000 people!
Militos as well in modern Turkey. It was founded in 2000 BCE and in the bronze age was the trade capital of the Med and the wealthiest city around.
I guess I and everyone else is originally from Iraq 😊
@ahmedriyadh7520history of Detroit!
@paleasmilk5785Pakistan are u joking 😂
@bharatcosmos7743Constantinople.
@FuckGoogle2...and China only has a todays population of near 400,000,000
@repentandknowjesus8674Flags are incorrect, for example, in 150AC, Alexandria and Cartago were part o Rome, no Italy or Egypt existed by that time. Same with the rest. Uruk was not Irak, Caracol was not Mexico, and in the other hand, there’s no way to demonstrate those numbers, so this video es un pedo mental de tamaño galáctico.
@FaustonautaCan you imagine the average American watching this video, open-mouthed.
@emgee_eegmeI mean there was nothing from Pakistani culture in ivc rather having INDIAN culture
@gautamfiregamer2591Ummm, Chengdu China, 32 million.
@Kotawiip0
@SEATTLE-sp6wwMohenjodaro, Harappa, are part of Indian civilization,
Using Islamic pakistani flag for these these civilizations is Haram,
Kinshasa absent ? they are NOW at 20-25 millions, soon ahead of Cairo. you're missing a lot dude
@oliviersindic5901The commenters revelling in calling the vid "rubbish" and "crap" are, apart from trying to show off their "superior" knowledge, missing the point. The vid is in a way one of the best ways of showing the development of population distribution throughout History. And this in itself is indicative of the effects of the "March of Time" on the people of the world. Great vid, many thanks.
@telemachus53No Lagos?
@ltt22ebm1320 BC Turkey did not exist. Stop with the false info
@tsifty1It was Constantinople until 1930.
@jvnb-y9eدر هیچ بک از این محتواهای تاریخی ندیدم کخ به تمدن شهر سوخته و جیرفت در ایران اشاره شده باشه ، در شهر سوخته آثاری از جراحی جمجمه و چشم مصنوعی مربوط به ۵۰۰۰سال پیش پیدا شده در حالی که سومریان در آن زمان اثری از آنها وجود نداشت ، صفحاتی از تاریخ حذف شده ، در مورد آثار کشف شده مربوط به شهر سوخته در سیستان که در ایران کشف شده جستجو کنید
@Niki1177-i3eWhen Merv dropped off the list, it was because Genghis Khan wiped it off the map to nearly the last person because the ruler of Merv had disrespected him by killing his emissaries.
@Michael-x3n5hAll the largest cities today are all 3rd world countries. Poor, developing countries grow faster.
@mikeguidry2577Ankor Cambodia is hard to tell but the estimated population was more like 1 million.
@josephivan5094Caracol., Mexico was not 680 BC, but 680 AC
@kennethfrey4168Какое отношение Константинополь имеет к Турции в 100 году нашей эры и почему называется Станбул????
@klismanklismanovich7394Great chart. Information should be completed more accurately though. For example, by 15th century there had been several Aztec and Mayan cities way larger than most of those reported. It is very interesting looking at how great cities were been built in different places at different times across history.
@carlosa.dumois5079Из западных городов Москва что ли самый населеный город?
@DedBonzaiThe name is Constantinople!
@AthosRacAt no time has Boston had over a million people...
@THEJimCaseso interesting to watch the growth of cities our ancestors built, we all have a debt to keep it going and to treat each other with dignity
@idealistinafallenworldSo, Mexico City is a village then ?.
@WildlifeUKNatureByGlenODubai: left from chat
@TheRealSlenderYT