The city in which I was born and raised is now the world’s second largest city. I am referring to the city of Dhaka, in Bangladesh.
I recently found that the United Nations published a new report and ranked Dhaka as the second most populous city in the world. The city has 36 million people. The largest city is Jakarta, with a population of nearly 42 million.
With a population of 36 million, Dhaka is a “megacity.” A megacity is a city with 10 million people or more. Now, Dhaka has more people than other major cities like New Delhi, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Cairo, Manila, Kolkata, and Seoul.
While I was surprised to suddenly see this new rank, I must say that it does make perfect sense. The population of Bangladesh has been growing over decades.
Bangladesh officially gained independence in 1971, following the War of Liberation. Since becoming an independent country, the population of Bangladesh has grown.
In 1971, Bangladesh had a population of just over 70 million people. As of 2024, the population number was over 173 million people. As a result, the capital city of Dhaka experienced a rise in the number of people living there.
People from other parts of the country would make their way to the city of Dhaka to get good education, learn skills, and to find jobs and pursue economic opportunities. People arrived in Dhaka to work hard and build fortune.
Dhaka became the central hub of growth and success in Bangladesh. As the population of Bangladesh and of the city of Dhaka became bigger, land became increasingly expensive in the nation’s capital. And the pricier the land became, the more the investors poured money into real estate.
Since gaining independence, the country became more prominent in Asia due to its expanding labor force and economic potential. Therefore, Bangladesh attracted the attention of foreign powers.
Other countries from Asia, as well as western nations, started to engage in trade and formed economic connections with Bangladesh. As a result, Bangladesh saw greater growth, with Dhaka perhaps benefiting the most.
Moreover, Bangladesh began to send workers to other countries. Bangladeshi workers are employed in many regions around the world, including countries in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. This continues to be a way for Bangladesh to benefit from money earned through remittance.
And as remittance income rose, Bangladesh flourished. Once again, Dhaka benefitted from this success.
This is the city in which I was born and raised. Through my eyes, I have seen a lot of the transformation that took place in Dhaka.
For Dhaka to be ranked the second largest city in the world is a big achievement. While some might complain about population density and the resulting pressure on the city’s infrastructure to keep up with the massive number of people living there, I do believe that the big population is a strength for Dhaka, and for Bangladesh as a whole.
What is perhaps the most remarkable news is that the United States has now become the second largest trading partner of Bangladesh. This is an indication of enhanced bilateral trade and the possibility of greater economic exchanges in the future. As a naturalized American citizen, I am pleased to see the United States engaging in more trade with Bangladesh and fostering a strong U.S.-Bangladesh economic relationship.
It is fascinating to see the growth trends in cities across the world. Let us now wait and see what more transformation takes place in large and megacities around the world, and how that shapes the world economy.