A Detailed List of the World's Most Populated Cities

Urbanization is a complex process transforming our world, with cities serving as centers of economic activity, cultural exchange, and social development. For data scientists and researchers, understanding the demographics and characteristics of the world's most populated cities is vital.

In this blog post, we delve into the realm of urban data analysis and unveil a comprehensive list of the 100 most populated cities worldwide. Moreover, we empower you to access and download a complete dataset encompassing all cities worldwide, with their population figures and geographical coordinates.

To create this list, we harnessed the power of Geoapify's Places API, a robust geospatial platform that gave us access to a vast repository of location-based data. Leveraging the capabilities of the Places API, we extracted essential information about each city, such as population figures, geographical coordinates, and other pertinent details.

How We Obtained the Comprehensive City Data

Before using the list of the world's most populated cities in your studies, it is crucial to understand the origin and reliability of the data. At the core of our dataset lies the OpenStreetMap (OSM) database, a collaborative mapping project driven by a global community of contributors.

With meticulous attention to detail, we tapped into the extensive OSM database known for its wealth of geospatial information. Through targeted extraction techniques, we identified objects of interest using the "place=city" tag, a key element that helped us isolate relevant urban data points.

To enhance our dataset and ensure its accuracy and completeness, we combined the OSM data with the capabilities of Geoapify's Places API, which also uses Nominatim as one of the components. This allowed us to extract additional insights and enrich our analysis by extracting vital information such as population figures, geographical coordinates, and other relevant details for each city in our comprehensive list.

Note: As an open data project, the comprehensive city data we obtained is publicly collected and may contain inherent inaccuracies. We have taken measures to ensure data quality, but it is important to exercise caution and acknowledge the possibility of inconsistencies or discrepancies within the dataset.

Unveiling the 100 Most Populated Cities Worldwide

Explore our collection of the 100 most populated cities worldwide. Each city entry is accompanied by a Wikipedia link, providing additional in-depth information for further exploration and analysis.

Dive into the data, uncover patterns, and gain valuable insights into the dynamics of these diverse and vibrant urban centers:

Note: The complete list of the 100 most populated cities worldwide, sorted by population, is available for download (CSV). This comprehensive resource empowers researchers, data scientists, and urban enthusiasts to explore and analyze these cities in depth.

Downloading The Complete City List as Open Data

We are pleased to provide you with a comprehensive and up-to-date list of cities from around the world. The list includes cities from various countries, allowing you to access a wealth of valuable data for research, analysis, and application development purposes.

To access the complete city list, please click on the button:

Most spreadsheet software applications can easily open the provided city list in CSV format, including popular tools like Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc. These software programs allow users to import and manipulate CSV files, providing a familiar interface for working with tabular data.

Users can use various features to analyze and filter the data by opening the CSV file in spreadsheet software. For example, applying country filters allows you to extract cities specific to a particular country, making it easy to focus on a specific region of interest.

Furthermore, if you need to work with the data in a different format or integrate it with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, the CSV file can be easily converted using online conversion tools. These tools enable you to convert the CSV file into formats such as Excel (XLSX), JSON, or shapefile (SHP), which are commonly used in GIS applications.

What About The City Data License?

The city data provided in this dataset is derived from OpenStreetMap, a collaborative mapping project that provides open data on various geographical features, including cities. As mentioned earlier, OSM data is available under an open license, allowing users to access, use, and analyze the data freely.

The OSM data used in this dataset is distributed under the Open Database License (ODbL). It grants users the right to use, share, and modify the data, ensuring its openness and availability for various purposes, including data analysis and research.

When utilizing the city data from OSM, it is essential to provide proper attribution to acknowledge the source. The attribution acknowledges the efforts of the OpenStreetMap community and helps maintain the integrity and transparency of the data.

Follow these guidelines to ensure proper attribution:

• Attribution Text: The attribution must include the text "OpenStreetMap" to credit the OSM community for their contributions.
• Acknowledging ODbL: The attribution should make it clear that the data is licensed under the Open Database License. Linking the text "OpenStreetMap" to "https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright" will fulfill this requirement.

Here are some examples of proper attributions for OpenStreetMap (OSM) data:

• Basic Attribution:

  • "City data from OpenStreetMap"
  • "© OpenStreetMap contributors"

• Detailed Attribution:

  • "Contains information from OpenStreetMap, which is made available under the Open Database License (ODbL)"
  • "City data © OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed under ODbL"

Remember, it is important to use attribution that is easily readable and understandable, and to follow accessibility guidelines such as WCAG. Feel free to adapt the attribution examples based on your specific usage of OSM data, while ensuring that proper credit is given to the OSM community and the data is acknowledged to be under the Open Database License (ODbL).

In conclusion, the complete city list with population and coordinates provides a rich dataset for data analysis, research, and visualization purposes. Its accessibility, compatibility, and open data nature make it a valuable asset for diverse applications, empowering users to explore and gain insights into cities worldwide.

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