Cities
The 50 Highest Cities in the World
Where Are The World’s Highest Cities?
When comparing the world’s cities to one another, we often use defining characteristics—largest, greenest, most visited, highest-earning, the list goes on.
Yet elevation is often overlooked, despite the fact that thousands of cities across the globe are nestled in highlands, plateaus, and mountain ranges.
Today’s graphic looks at the top 50 highest cities worldwide, and compares their altitudes to well-known references (the differences are dizzying).
Cities in the Sky
When ranking the world’s highest cities, we specifically looked at major urban centers with a population of one million or more inhabitants, with an elevation “floor” of 1,000m.
Though you might expect less important cities to make the rankings, 22 out of the 50 highest cities are actually national capitals.
The elevation data comes from the European Commission’s database of urban centers, using Thomas Brinkhoff’s City Population dataset for updated demographics.
Rank | Urban Center | Country | Region | Average Elevation (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | La Paz | Bolivia | South America | 3,869 |
#2 | Quito | Ecuador | South America | 2,784 |
#3 | Toluca | Mexico | Central America | 2,648 |
#4 | Cochabamba | Bolivia | South America | 2,621 |
#5 | Bogota | Colombia | South America | 2,601 |
#6 | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia | Eastern Africa | 2,361 |
#7 | Mexico City | Mexico | Central America | 2,316 |
#8 | Xining | China | Eastern Asia | 2,299 |
#9 | Sana'a | Yemen | Western Asia | 2,283 |
#10 | Puebla | Mexico | Central America | 2,176 |
#11 | Kunming | China | Eastern Asia | 1,924 |
#12 | San Luis Potosí | Mexico | Central America | 1,873 |
#13 | León | Mexico | Central America | 1,845 |
#14 | Kabul | Afghanistan | South-Central Asia | 1,845 |
#15 | Nairobi | Kenya | Eastern Africa | 1,702 |
#16 | Denver | United States | Northern America | 1,673 |
#17 | Medellín | Colombia | South America | 1,651 |
#18 | Johannesburg | South Africa | Southern Africa | 1,624 |
#19 | Srinagar | India | South-Central Asia | 1,598 |
#20 | Lanzhou | China | Eastern Asia | 1,594 |
#21 | Isfahan | Iran | South-Central Asia | 1,587 |
#22 | Guadalajara | Mexico | Central America | 1,583 |
#23 | Shiraz | Iran | South-Central Asia | 1,571 |
#24 | Harare | Zimbabwe | Eastern Africa | 1,479 |
#25 | Kigali | Rwanda | Eastern Africa | 1,473 |
#26 | Guatemala City | Guatemala | Central America | 1,463 |
#27 | Tabriz | Iran | South-Central Asia | 1,449 |
#28 | Pretoria | South Africa | Southern Africa | 1,365 |
#29 | Kermanshah | Iran | South-Central Asia | 1,359 |
#30 | Kathmandu | Nepal | South-Central Asia | 1,353 |
#31 | Ulaanbaatar | Mongolia | Eastern Asia | 1,326 |
#32 | Antananarivo | Madagascar | Eastern Africa | 1,271 |
#33 | Lusaka | Zambia | Eastern Africa | 1,257 |
#34 | Lubumbashi | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Middle Africa | 1,252 |
#35 | Tehran | Iran | South-Central Asia | 1,239 |
#36 | Kampala | Uganda | Eastern Africa | 1,187 |
#37 | Guiyang | China | Eastern Asia | 1,185 |
#38 | Brasilia | Brazil | South America | 1,184 |
#39 | Ciudad Juárez | Mexico | Central America | 1,164 |
#40 | Beni | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Middle Africa | 1,149 |
#41 | Torreon | Mexico | Central America | 1,132 |
#42 | San José | Costa Rica | Central America | 1,129 |
#43 | Yinchuan | China | Eastern Asia | 1,113 |
#44 | Calgary | Canada | Northern America | 1,095 |
#45 | Hohhot | China | Eastern Asia | 1,069 |
#46 | Baotou | China | Eastern Asia | 1,061 |
#47 | Datong | China | Eastern Asia | 1,059 |
#48 | Yerevan | Armenia | Western Asia | 1,058 |
#49 | Caracas | Venezuela | South America | 1,018 |
#50 | Mashhad | Iran | South-Central Asia | 1,011 |
At the top of the pantheon is Bolivia’s El Alto-La Paz metropolitan area, which houses more than two million people at an average elevation of 3,869m above sea level. That’s a city of two million people situated more than 100 meters higher than Mount Fuji in Japan.
The next four are more than 1,000m lower than El Alto-La Paz, with Ecuador’s capital Quito coming in at second place at 2,784m and Colombia’s capital Bogotá rounding out the top five at 2,601m. For reference, that’s more than 100 meters higher than the world-famous Inca citadel Machu Picchu in Peru, which sits at a height of 2,430m.
It’s notable just how mountainous Latin America is. Of the 10 highest cities, three are in Mexico’s many mountainous regions and four of the top five are adjacent to the Andes Mountains.
Asia and the Americas Tower Above
Though it might be expected that countries would have their population centers close to sea level, many instead have followed in the footsteps of past civilizations by building in higher regions.
In addition to many capitals in South America, that list of major cities includes Mexico City, easily the largest on the list as the world’s 8th largest metropolis, Addis Ababa, the capital and largest city in Ethiopia, Tehran, the capital of Iran and most populous city in Western Asia, and Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa.
The countries with the most high cities were China and Mexico, with eight each. China specifically had the most high metropolises in Asia, and many of the world’s highest settlements, though most of its major cities lie outside the Tibetan and Mongolian Plateaus.
Regional Breakdown of Top 50 Highest Cities | |
---|---|
Central America | 10 |
Eastern Asia | 9 |
South-Central Asia | 9 |
South America | 7 |
Eastern Africa | 7 |
Middle Africa | 2 |
Southern Africa | 2 |
Western Asia | 2 |
Northern America | 2 |
Europe | 0 |
Oceania | 0 |
As the table above highlights, while wide mountainous regions are concentrated in much of Asia, Latin America, and Africa, the Western world is largely located close to the water.
The West Sits Below
The U.S. and Canada each only had one city each crack the top 50 list: the Rocky Mountain-adjacent cities of Denver and Calgary.
Meanwhile, despite the European Alps stretching across eight countries and both Australia and New Zealand having many mountains tall enough to crack the list, both Europe and Oceania had no major city situated more than 1,000m above sea level.
But though most of humanity remains concentrated near sea level, it is impressive to remember that hundreds of millions of people live in cities higher than Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s highest tower.
In fact, studies have shown that living at higher altitudes has associated health benefits, including better cardiovascular health and lower incidence of stroke and cancer.
Regardless if future trends push more people thousands of meters into the sky, humanity has proven that it can prosper.
Environment
Visualized: Air Quality and Pollution in 50 Capital Cities
This visual compares air quality in 50 capital cities around the world by average PM2.5 concentrations in 2022.

Comparing Air Quality and Pollution in 50 Capital Cities
We know bad air quality when we breathe it in—but how does it measure and compare across different cities?
To assess air quality, agencies measure the amount of particulate matter in an area to arrive at a number the resident population is breathing in over a period of time.
In this case, Planet Anomaly visualized the concentration of PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) in 50 select capital cities across the globe, using data from IQAir’s 2022 World Air Quality Report.
The report applied population-based adjustments to standardize its results and calculated an annual average of the data. If a city exceeded the WHO safety guideline of 5 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³) for annual average PM2.5 levels, it implied potential health risks for its residents.
Ranked: Capital Cities With the Best and Worst Air Quality
At the top of the list with the best air quality, Canberra, the capital of Australia, had an average PM2.5 level of 2.8 μg/m³ in 2022. Vehicle emissions and dust storms are the few sources of air pollutants in the city.
However, while Canberra did well in 2022, it had some of the worst air quality in 2020 when bushfire smoke blackened the skies.
Here’s the full list of all 116 capital cities measured by IQAir’s report, ranked by air quality from best to worst.
Rank | City | Country | Region | 2022 Average PM2.5 Concentration |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Canberra | 🇦🇺 Australia | Oceania | 2.8 |
2 | Hamilton | 🇧🇲 Bermuda | North America | 3.0 |
3 | Reykjavik | 🇮🇸 Iceland | Europe | 3.3 |
4 | San Juan | 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | North America | 3.3 |
5 | Noumea | 🇳🇨 New Caledonia | Oceania | 3.5 |
6 | Saint George’s | 🇬🇩 Grenada | Central America | 3.8 |
7 | Tallinn | 🇪🇪 Estonia | Europe | 4.8 |
8 | Port of Spain | 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago | Central America | 5.0 |
9 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | Europe | 5.5 |
10 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | Africa | 6.7 |
11 | Ottawa | 🇨🇦 Canada | North America | 6.8 |
12 | Stockholm | 🇸🇪 Sweden | Europe | 6.8 |
13 | Oslo | 🇳🇴 Norway | Europe | 6.9 |
14 | Paramaribo | 🇸🇷 Suriname | South America | 7.0 |
15 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | Europe | 7.1 |
16 | La Paz | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | South America | 7.3 |
17 | Lisbon | 🇵🇹 Portugal | Europe | 7.5 |
18 | San Jose | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | Central America | 7.9 |
19 | Phnom Penh | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | Asia | 8.3 |
20 | Vaduz | 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | Europe | 8.3 |
21 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | Europe | 8.7 |
22 | Luanda | 🇦🇴 Angola | Africa | 8.8 |
23 | Managua | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | Central America | 8.9 |
24 | Panama | 🇵🇦 Panama | Central America | 9.0 |
25 | Tokyo | 🇯🇵 Japan | Asia | 9.2 |
26 | Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain | Europe | 9.5 |
27 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | Europe | 9.5 |
28 | London | 🇬🇧 UK | Europe | 9.6 |
29 | Washington | 🇺🇸 U.S. | North America | 9.8 |
30 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | Asia | 9.9 |
31 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Europe | 10.1 |
32 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | Central America | 10.2 |
33 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | Europe | 10.5 |
34 | Bern | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | Europe | 10.5 |
35 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | Europe | 10.6 |
36 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia | Europe | 10.8 |
37 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | Europe | 11.2 |
38 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | South America | 11.3 |
39 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | Africa | 11.5 |
40 | Podgorica | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | Europe | 11.8 |
41 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | Europe | 11.9 |
42 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | Europe | 12.6 |
43 | Rome | 🇮🇹 Italy | Europe | 12.6 |
44 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | Europe | 12.7 |
45 | Georgetown | 🇬🇾 Guyana | South America | 12.7 |
46 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | Asia | 13.3 |
47 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | Central America | 13.4 |
48 | Bratislava | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | Europe | 13.4 |
49 | Pristina | 🇽🇰 Kosovo | Europe | 13.7 |
50 | Ankara | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | Asia | 14.0 |
51 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | South America | 14.2 |
52 | Hong Kong | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR | Asia | 14.4 |
53 | Tirana | 🇦🇱 Albania | Europe | 14.5 |
54 | Vilnius | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | Europe | 14.5 |
55 | Metro Manila | 🇵🇭 Philippines | Asia | 14.6 |
56 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | South America | 15.1 |
57 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | Europe | 15.3 |
58 | Kinshasa | 🇨🇩 DRC | Africa | 15.5 |
59 | Ljubljana | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | Europe | 16.2 |
60 | Tbilisi | 🇬🇪 Georgia | Europe | 16.3 |
61 | Nicosia | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | Europe | 16.4 |
62 | Bucharest | 🇷🇴 Romania | Europe | 17.1 |
63 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | Asia | 17.6 |
64 | Algiers | 🇩🇿 Algeria | Africa | 17.8 |
65 | Bangkok | 🇹🇭 Thailand | Asia | 18.0 |
66 | Seoul | 🇰🇷 South Korea | Asia | 18.3 |
67 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | Central America | 18.5 |
68 | Baku | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | Asia | 18.9 |
69 | Sofia | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | Europe | 19.1 |
70 | Athens | 🇬🇷 Greece | Europe | 19.2 |
71 | Tel Aviv-Yafo | 🇮🇱 Israel | Middle East | 19.5 |
72 | Dakar | 🇸🇳 Senegal | Africa | 20.4 |
73 | Colombo | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | Asia | 20.9 |
74 | Astana | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | Asia | 21.4 |
75 | Ashgabat | 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | Asia | 21.6 |
76 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 Mexico | North America | 22.1 |
77 | Belgrade | 🇷🇸 Serbia | Europe | 22.1 |
78 | Zagreb | 🇭🇷 Croatia | Europe | 22.4 |
79 | Abidjan | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast | Africa | 22.5 |
80 | Chisinau | 🇲🇩 Moldova | Europe | 22.6 |
81 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | Africa | 23.7 |
82 | Yangon | 🇲🇲 Myanmar | Asia | 24.3 |
83 | Lusaka | 🇿🇲 Zambia | Africa | 24.6 |
84 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru | South America | 25.6 |
85 | Santiago | 🇨🇱 Chile | South America | 25.8 |
86 | Skopje | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | Europe | 26.6 |
87 | Vientiane | 🇱🇦 Laos | Asia | 27.6 |
88 | Bishkek | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | Asia | 29.0 |
89 | Beijing | 🇨🇳 China | Asia | 29.8 |
90 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | Africa | 30.1 |
91 | Ulaanbaatar | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | Asia | 30.6 |
92 | Addis Ababa | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | Africa | 31.3 |
93 | Yerevan | 🇦🇲 Armenia | Asia | 31.4 |
94 | Sarajevo | 🇧🇦 Bosnia Herzegovina | Europe | 32.4 |
95 | Tashkent | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | Asia | 33.5 |
96 | Tehran | 🇮🇷 Iran | Asia | 36.1 |
97 | Jakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | Asia | 36.2 |
98 | Kampala | 🇺🇬 Uganda | Africa | 39.6 |
99 | Hanoi | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | Asia | 40.1 |
100 | Islamabad | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | Asia | 40.6 |
101 | Kathmandu | 🇳🇵 Nepal | Asia | 40.7 |
102 | Doha | 🇶🇦 Qatar | Middle East | 41.8 |
103 | Kigali | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | Africa | 44.0 |
104 | Khartoum | 🇸🇩 Sudan | Africa | 44.6 |
105 | Riyadh | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | Middle East | 46.2 |
106 | Abuja | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | Africa | 46.5 |
107 | Cairo | 🇪🇬 Egypt | Africa | 47.4 |
108 | Dushanbe | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | Asia | 47.7 |
109 | Abu Dhabi | 🇦🇪 UAE | Middle East | 48.0 |
110 | Kuwait City | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | Middle East | 57.5 |
111 | Ougadougou | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | Africa | 63.0 |
112 | Dhaka | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | Asia | 65.8 |
113 | Manama | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | Middle East | 66.6 |
114 | Baghdad | 🇮🇶 Iraq | Asia | 86.7 |
115 | New Delhi | 🇮🇳 India | Asia | 89.1 |
116 | N’Djamena | 🇹🇩 Chad | Africa | 89.7 |
Hamilton, Bermuda (3.8 μg/m³) and Reykjavik, Iceland (3.3 μg/m³) rank second and third respectively, followed by three more capitals on island nations. In fact, nine of the top 10 capitals are situated directly on a coastline and take advantage of ocean breezes that can act as air filters.
Ranked 8th, the Port of Spain (capital of Trinidad & Tobago) is the last city whose air quality is considered safe (5.0 μg/m³) by the WHO.
From a broader perspective, fewer than 10% of all countries have air quality that meets safety guidelines.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the list with the worst air quality, Chad’s capital city N’Djamena, recorded a PM2.5 concentration of nearly 90 μg/m³ per day in 2022—almost 18x the recommended WHO safety guideline.
Air Quality Correlates With Countries’ Income Levels
Perhaps the most striking feature of the rankings is how air quality worsens with countries that are in the low and middle-income categories and improves in high income countries.
As an example, compare the distribution of the ranks of capital cities in Asia (generally lower and middle income countries) versus capitals in Europe (general high income countries).
Air Quality Ranks | Cities in Asia | Cities in Europe |
---|---|---|
Top 20 | 3.33% | 20.51% |
20–40 | 6.67% | 28.21% |
40–60 | 13.33% | 28.21% |
60–80 | 23.33% | 17.95% |
80–100 | 36.67% | 5.13% |
100–116 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
The majority of European capital cities are ranked 20–60 versus Asian capitals which are mostly ranked 60–100.
Lower and middle income countries have larger structural economic concerns and many of them are still in the process of transitioning away from polluting materials that affect air quality.
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