1970 Megacities

In 1970, the world’s megacities—urban areas with populations exceeding 10 million—were rare and primarily concentrated in the Global North and select parts of Asia. Tokyo was the largest, its population surging past 23 million, fueled by Japan’s rapid postwar economic growth and rural-to-urban migration. New York City, with about 16 million people in its metropolitan area, was the Western Hemisphere’s dominant metropolis, shaped by waves of immigration and industrialization throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Mexico City was emerging as Latin America’s largest city, with its population swelling due to internal migration and high birth rates, reflecting broader urbanization trends in developing countries. Other cities, such as Shanghai and São Paulo, were on the cusp of megacity status, driven by industrial expansion and demographic shifts. While Tokyo and New York were characterized by established infrastructure and global economic influence, cities like Mexico City faced challenges of rapid, often unplanned, urban growth. Overall, the 1970s marked a turning point, as megacities began to proliferate outside the traditional centers of wealth, foreshadowing the massive urbanization that would define the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Data from UN World Urbanization Prospects