The Middle East is home to some of the world’s fastest-growing and most densely populated cities. Rapid population growth, rural-to-urban migration, and economic concentration have driven major cities to expand well beyond their historic cores.

This map, via Visual Capitalist's Niccolo Conte, highlights the most populated cities in the region in 2025.

The data for this visualization comes from the United Nations.

Cairo Stands Alone at the Top

Cairo ranks as the Middle East’s most populated city, with more than 25.5 million residents in 2025. The Egyptian capital has expanded steadily for decades, driven by high birth rates and sustained migration from rural areas. Alexandria and several other Egyptian cities also rank highly.

RankLocationCity2025 population

1	🇪🇬 Egypt	Al-Qahirah (Cairo)	25,566,000
2	🇹🇷 Türkiye	Istanbul	15,015,000
3	🇮🇷 Iran	Tehrān (Tehran)	9,175,000
4	🇪🇬 Egypt	Alexandria	7,267,000
5	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	Ar-Riyāḑ (Riyadh)	6,916,000
6	🇯🇴 Jordan	Ammān (Amman)	6,404,000
7	🇮🇶 Iraq	Baghdād (Baghdad)	6,391,000
8	🇮🇷 Iran	Mashhad	5,398,000
9	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	Dubai	5,284,000
10	🇸🇾 Syria	Dimashq (Damascus)	4,288,000
11	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	Jeddah	4,284,000
12	🇰🇼 Kuwait	Al Kuwayt (Kuwait City)	4,265,000
13	🇪🇬 Egypt	Luxor	4,188,000
14	🇾🇪 Yemen	Şan'ā' (Sana'a)	4,019,000
15	🇹🇷 Türkiye	Ankara	3,612,000
16	🇮🇷 Iran	Karaj	3,599,000
17	🇸🇾 Syria	Aleppo	2,922,000
18	🇹🇷 Türkiye	Izmir	2,650,000
19	🇮🇱 Israel	Tel Aviv	2,643,000
20	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	Dammam	2,336,000
21	🇹🇷 Türkiye	Bursa	2,282,000
22	🇶🇦 Qatar	Ad-Dawhah (Doha)	2,194,000
23	🇪🇬 Egypt	Banha	2,089,000
24	🇮🇶 Iraq	Basra	2,034,000
25	🇮🇷 Iran	Isfahan	1,844,000
26	🇱🇧 Lebanon	Bayrūt (Beirut)	1,794,000
27	🇪🇬 Egypt	El Mansura	1,713,000
28	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	Mecca	1,692,000
29	🇮🇶 Iraq	Mosul	1,665,000
30	🇮🇷 Iran	Ahwaz	1,639,000

Türkiye and Iran Anchor Urban Growth

Türkiye places multiple cities in the top 20, led by Istanbul with over 15 million people, followed by Ankara and Izmir.

Iran also features prominently, with Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, and several secondary cities reflecting the country’s large population and relatively balanced urban network.

Gulf Cities Punch Above Their Weight

Several Gulf cities appear high on the list despite much smaller national populations. Riyadh, Dubai, Jeddah, Doha, and Kuwait City have grown rapidly over the past two decades, fueled by economic diversification, infrastructure investment, and foreign labor inflows.

While smaller than Cairo or Istanbul, their growth rates remain among the fastest in the region.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out The World’s Wealthiest Nations in 2025 on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

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