Dhaka: The megacity no one planned for is now the world’s 2nd-largest

Unplanned rise of Dhaka

Dhaka has grown into a megacity largely without coherent planning, turning into the world’s second-largest urban agglomeration. By 2050, UN forecasts suggest Dhaka could become the most populous city on the planet, outpacing its current rivals.

Migration as the main driver

Former Dhaka University Population Sciences Chair Mohammad Mainul Islam explains that migration from villages and small towns far exceeds the city’s natural population growth. He notes that limited rural jobs, shrinking agricultural land, climate-related environmental risks, and the search for education, healthcare, and other urban services all push people toward Dhaka.

“The rate of migration from rural areas to Dhaka is more than twice our population growth rate,” said Mohammad Mainul Islam. “Job opportunities in rural areas are very limited, so many come to Dhaka in search of work. People are also moving due to climate change–related environmental risks. As agricultural land shrinks, many landless people move to Dhaka. Besides, many come for education, healthcare, and other urban facilities.”

This combination of economic pressure and environmental stress creates a powerful “push factor,” driving people out of rural areas rather than attracting them with plentiful urban factory jobs, as happened in many Western cities during the Industrial Revolution. The result is a demographic surge that the city’s institutions struggle to absorb.

A city outgrowing its capacity

Dhaka’s physical growth lags far behind its population increase, producing a fragmented urban landscape. In many neighbourhoods, upscale high-rises stand directly beside densely packed, tin-roofed informal settlements.

Urban planner Uswatun Mahera highlights the scale of the challenge:

“Every year, about 500,000 people come to Dhaka. Arranging housing for them has become a major challenge. The increasing population is polluting Dhaka’s air and water. Services like transport and waste management are becoming ineffective. Unplanned expansion is obstructing the ability to meet citizens’ basic needs.”

These pressures show that many other megacities are levelling off or managing density, while Dhaka remains in a rapid acceleration phase with few protective buffers.

Call to decentralise power and services

Experts argue that Dhaka’s hyper-centralised model of governance is no longer viable. Key institutions—major hospitals, universities, high courts, and corporate headquarters—are concentrated in the capital, reinforcing a powerful pull toward the city.

Professor Mainul Islam calls for a fundamental restructuring of urban policy.

He recommends a new urban policy and insists that “all institutions related to public services need to be strengthened. At the same time, commercial activities must be relocated outside Dhaka.”

This approach would shift economic opportunities and services to other regions, easing the capital’s overwhelming demographic load.

Need for integrated urban planning

Urban planner Uswatun Mahera stresses that leaving development solely to private actors and spontaneous market forces has produced chaotic outcomes.

“Sustainable and integrated planning is required,” she says, arguing that a “sustainable and coordinated plan is essential to solve this. The government must take the lead.”

Without such leadership, Dhaka’s growth will continue to erode basic services like housing, transport, and waste management, further undermining liveability.

A looming urban crisis

The article underscores that Dhaka’s crisis is not a distant scenario but an immediate reality. Preparations to shelter, feed, and move an additional tens of millions of residents should already be underway, yet decisive policy action remains limited.

If centralisation persists and planning stays weak, the city that is poised to become the world’s largest may also earn a reputation as one of its least liveable.

Author’s summary: The article portrays Dhaka as a rapidly growing, poorly planned megacity driven by forced migration, where urgent decentralisation and state-led, integrated planning are crucial to avert a slide into unliveable conditions.

The Business Standard — 2025-11-28