which cities are rising, and which are fading

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

The busiest air gateways

Air passengers through the city’s airports in 2025, millions. · Fact

  1. 13 São Paulo Brazil 71.7M
  2. 21 Santiago Chile 26.5M
  3. – Bogotá Colombia not reported
  4. – Buenos Aires Argentina not reported
  5. – Lima Peru not reported
  6. – Mexico City Mexico not reported
  7. – Rio de Janeiro Brazil not reported

Source: airport operators and national aviation authorities (one per airport) · 2025 data. 28 cities have no published figure from a primary source yet. Cities with no full-year figure from the airport or its regulator show as not reported; most African, South Asian and Latin American airports publish none yet. New York: Port Authority total for its airports, rounded; Los Angeles: five airports in the region; Dubai: DXB only; Dubai World Central (about 1m) not yet published for the full year; Bangkok: Don Mueang given as 31.6m in AOT's summary and 31.7m in its chart; Delhi: summed from the operator's monthly filings; São Paulo: Guarulhos rounded by its operator; Hong Kong: rounded by the airport authority; Sydney: published as 'more than 42.54 million'.

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