Western Asia Cities by Population 2026

Western Asia Cities Overview

Istanbul dominates Western Asia with 15.8M residents, significantly larger than any other city. Baghdad follows as the second-largest metropolis with 8M inhabitants, while Riyadh maintains 7.6M residents.

Turkey features multiple major urban centers beyond Istanbul, including Ankara (6M), Izmir (4.5M), and Bursa (3.3M). Similarly, Saudi Arabia is anchored by several large cities including Jeddah (3.8M) and the holy cities of Mecca (2.8M) and Medina (1.5M).

The Levant region features several historic capitals: Damascus (1.5M), Beirut (1.6M), and Amman (3.1M). The Arabian Peninsula has seen rapid urban development, exemplified by Dubai (3.8M) and Muscat (59.4K).