this ranking uses illustrative numbers, not real data · 5 of 6 rankings use real data so far

which cities are rising, and which are fading

50 cities, six rankings, measured the same way everywhere. No surveys. No paid places.

Where activity is growing fastest

Growth in night-time light, 2014 to 2025. A proxy for economic activity, not GDP. · Estimate

all Africa Asia Middle East Latin America Europe North America

1 Nairobi Kenya 188% ↑ 2
2 Addis Ababa Ethiopia 186% ↓ 2
3 Dhaka Bangladesh 171% ↑ 6
4 Luanda Angola 168% new
5 Lagos Nigeria 158% ↑ 1
6 Bengaluru India 142% ↓ 4
7 Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire 140% ↑ 4
8 Karachi Pakistan 138% ↓ 3
9 Kinshasa DR Congo 136% ↑ 1
10 Khartoum Sudan 130% ↓ 1
11 Lahore Pakistan 121% –
12 Riyadh Saudi Arabia 121% ↓ 2
13 Johannesburg South Africa 121% ↓ 4
14 Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam 120% ↑ 3
15 Kolkata India 119% ↑ 2
16 Dar es Salaam Tanzania 118% ↑ 1
17 Mumbai India 116% ↑ 4
18 Dubai UAE 109% ↓ 2
19 Shenzhen China 90% ↑ 2
20 Bangkok Thailand 83% ↑ 1
21 Beijing China 82% –
22 Istanbul Türkiye 79% new
23 Manila Philippines 78% ↓ 3
24 Shanghai China 75% ↑ 6
25 Delhi India 72% ↓ 2
26 Jakarta Indonesia 66% ↓ 1
27 Chengdu China 65% ↓ 2
28 São Paulo Brazil 62% ↑ 6
29 Tehran Iran 57% ↑ 6
30 Buenos Aires Argentina 55% ↑ 4
31 Bogotá Colombia 51% ↑ 1
32 Santiago Chile 40% ↑ 6
33 Rio de Janeiro Brazil 37% ↓ 4
34 Baghdad Iraq 33% ↑ 3
35 Cairo Egypt 32% ↑ 1
36 New York USA 30% ↓ 4
37 Tokyo Japan 28% –
38 Sydney Australia 28% ↓ 2
39 Seoul South Korea 25% ↓ 1
40 Moscow Russia 25% ↑ 2
41 Mexico City Mexico 23% –
42 Lima Peru 23% ↓ 2
43 Madrid Spain 23% –
44 Berlin Germany 19% ↓ 1
45 Singapore Singapore 18% ↓ 3
46 Los Angeles USA 16% ↑ 3
47 Chicago USA 16% ↑ 4
48 Paris France 12% ↓ 1
49 London UK 4% ↓ 1
50 Hong Kong China 3% ↓ 3

Source: NASA Black Marble · 2025 data · arrows show rank change vs last year.

Measured, never opinion · every number traceable · nobody can buy a rank.

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