Where climate change is a near-term planning problem
10 Cities Most at Risk From Rising Sea Levels
Major coastal cities now plan around sea-level scenarios their grandparents would have called science fiction. Here are ten of the most exposed.
About 10% of the world's population lives less than 10 metres above sea level. Even moderate climate-change scenarios put hundreds of millions of city residents in trouble within the lifetime of children born today.
Bangkok, Thailand · pop. 5,527,948
Bangkok is sinking 1–2 cm a year, on a delta that may force the city to consider partial relocation later this century.
Greater Accra, Ghana · pop. 2,388,000
Ghana's capital has lost beach communities to coastal erosion; the rest of the city sits dangerously close to the high-water mark.
Alexandria, Egypt · pop. 4,546,231
Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great, may lose much of its coastline within decades — the historic Corniche is already eroding.
North Holland, Netherlands · pop. 881,933
The Netherlands has been managing rising water for 800 years — but the projected pace is forcing new dikes, dunes and barriers all over again.
Louisiana, United States
Much of New Orleans is already below sea level, kept dry by a 350-mile system of levees and pumps that's never quite finished.
Florida, United States
Miami's porous limestone bedrock means seawalls don't really work — 'sunny day flooding' is now routine in the city's lowest streets.
West Bengal, India · pop. 4,486,679
Kolkata sits on the Hooghly delta; combined sinking and sea-level rise put it at the top of every Asian risk list.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam · pop. 14,002,598
Almost half of Ho Chi Minh City could be regularly flooded by 2050 under mid-range climate scenarios.
Dhaka, Bangladesh · pop. 21,741,000
Dhaka sits on one of the world's largest river deltas; even small sea-level rises threaten to displace tens of millions of Bangladeshis.
Jakarta, Indonesia · pop. 10,467,629
Jakarta is sinking up to 25 cm a year and the Indonesian government is now relocating its capital to Borneo as a result.
More lists
10 Cities With the Most Skyscrapers in the World
Where the skyline never stops climbing
10 Cities With the Worst Traffic in the World
Where rush hour is a way of life
10 Cities With the Best Public Transportation
Where you really don't need a car
8 Highest-Altitude Cities in the World
Where the air gets thin and the views get long
8 Oldest Continuously Inhabited Cities in the World
Places where someone has been home for thousands of years
10 Coldest Inhabited Cities in the World
Where winter is genuinely dangerous
10 Hottest Cities in the World
Where summer routinely crosses 50°C
10 Largest Megacities in the World
Where tens of millions share a single metro
8 Cities Built on Water
Where canals are the streets
10 of the World's Best-Preserved Old Towns
Where history is still the street plan
10 Most Expensive Cities in the World
Where a coffee costs ten dollars
10 Most Visited Cities by International Tourists
Where the world goes on holiday
7 of the Rainiest Inhabited Places on Earth
Where the rain is the climate, not the weather
8 of the Northernmost Cities in the World
Where the sun stops setting in summer
7 of the Southernmost Cities in the World
Where the next stop is Antarctica
8 of the Sunniest Cities in the World
Where clouds are a special event
8 of the World's Greenest Cities
Where sustainability is a city policy, not a slogan
8 of the World's Most Famous Mountain & Ski Towns
Where altitude is the address
7 of the World's Most Multilingual Cities
Where the official languages run into the dozens
8 Cities With the Most Billionaires
Where extreme wealth concentrates
10 of the Best Cities for Digital Nomads
Where Wi-Fi, weather and visas all line up
10 of the World's Most Walkable Cities
Where the car is a guest, not the host
10 of the World's Best Cities for Nightlife
Where 'last call' is a foreign concept
10 of the World's Best Food Cities
Where eating is the point of visiting
For entertainment only. Rankings on this page are editorial picks compiled from public sources for fun and discovery — they aren't a scientific measurement. Population figures and place details come from open data; see the linked place pages for sources.