Dhaka, Nov. 26 -- Dhaka has become the world's second-largest city by population, according to a new United Nations report that highlights the rapid expansion of megacities across the world.

The Bangladeshi capital now has an estimated 36.6 million residents, placing it just behind Indonesian capital Jakarta, which tops the global list with 41.9 million inhabitants. Tokyo, long-time leader in the global population ranking, has been pushed into third place as its population growth stabilises.

The findings come from the World Urbanization Prospects 2025 report, published by the UN's Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Al Jazeera reports.

Dhaka's rise has been striking. In the UN's previous major assessment in 2000, the city ranked...