This article lists the largest human settlements in the world (by population) over time, as estimated by historians, from 7000 BC when the largest human settlement was a proto-city in the ancient Near East with a population of about 1,000–2,000 people, to the year 2000 when the largest human settlement was Tokyo with 26 million.
Later cities that might have reached 1 million include Luoyang, Kaifeng, Hangzhou, Jinling, Beijing, and Edo.
[2] As disagreements between the sources show, any of the pre-19th century figures are uncertain, especially in ancient times.
Estimating population sizes before censuses were conducted is a difficult task.
[3] The following table lists the most populous human settlements by estimated population at specified points in history according to three sources: Ian Morris, George Modelski and Tertius Chandler.