The world's most surveilled cities

Cities in China are under the heaviest CCTV surveillance in the world, according to a new analysis by Comparitech. But globally, many more cities are under increasing amounts of surveillance.

In 2019, IHS Markit predicted that there would be 1 billion surveillance cameras worldwide by the end of last year (2021). According to the same report, 54 percent of the world’s cameras are located in China, which would equate to 540 million CCTV cameras as of 2021. With a population of 1.46 billion (based on the most recent UN estimate), this means there are 372.8 cameras per 1,000 people in China.

This year, we have used this ratio to create estimated CCTV camera figures per Chinese city. Due to wildly different estimates and old figures, this seemed the most accurate and fairest way to try and gauge the sheer volume of camera figures in China.

While China yet again dominates this study for its vast surveillance tactics, there are other countries whose surveillance tactics are of growing concern, including several Indian cities, London, and Los Angeles and New York in the US.

Comparitech researchers collated a number of data resources and reports, including government reports, police websites, and news articles, to get some idea of the number of CCTV cameras in use in 150 major cities across the globe. We focused primarily on public CCTV—cameras used by government entities such as law enforcement.

Here are our key findings:

  • Indore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai, Singapore, Moscow, Baghdad, London, St. Petersburg, and Los Angeles are the top 10 most surveilled cities outside of China (based on the number of cameras per 1,000 people)
  • Delhi, Chennai, Singapore, Seoul, Moscow, London, New York, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Mexico City are the top 10 most surveilled cities outside of China (based on the number of cameras per square mile)
  • At the end of 2021, over one billion surveillance cameras are estimated to have been installed worldwide, according to IHS Markit’s latest report
  • 54 percent of the world’s cameras are located in China
  • We found little correlation between the number of public CCTV cameras and crime or safety

The 10 most surveilled cities in the world – cameras per person

Based on the number of cameras per 1,000 people, these cities are the top 10 most surveilled in the world:

  1. Cities of China* — 540m cameras to 1.46bn people = 372.8 cameras per 1,000 people
  2. Indore, India – 200,600 cameras per 3,208,722 people = 62.52 cameras per 1,000 people
  3. Hyderabad, India — 440,299 cameras for 10,534,418 people = 41.8 cameras per 1,000 people
  4. Delhi, India — 436,600 cameras for 16,349,831 people = 26.7 cameras per 1,000 people
  5. Chennai, India — 282,126 cameras for 11,503,293 people = 24.53 cameras per 1,000 people
  6. Singapore, Singapore — 108,981 cameras for 6,039,577 people = 18.04 cameras per 1,000 people
  7. Moscow, Russia — 213,000 cameras for 12,640,818 people = 16.85 cameras per 1,000 people
  8. Baghdad, Iraq — 120,000 cameras for 7,511,920 people = 15.97 cameras per 1,000 people
  9. London, England (UK)** — 127,373 cameras for 9,540,576 people = 13.35 cameras per 1,000 people
  10. St. Petersburgh, Russia — 70,000 cameras for 5,535,556 people = 12.65 cameras per 1,000 people
  11. Los Angeles, US — 34,959 cameras for 3,985,520 people = 8.77 cameras per 1,000 people

*As mentioned in the introduction, our estimates for Chinese cities this year are based on China as a whole.

**Our previous studies have only found figures for London which may have included private cameras. In this study, we have found sources that have enabled us to create a figure based on public cameras.

The 10 most surveilled cities in the world (excluding China) – cameras per square mile

As China dominates this list, we have included a separate table with the number of cameras per square mile of each Chinese city. Therefore, this list features the top 10 most surveilled cities in the rest of the world:

  1. Delhi, India – 436,600 cameras for 302 square miles = 1,446.03 cameras per square mile
  2. Chennai, India – 282,126 cameras for 459 square miles = 614.56 cameras per square mile
  3. Singapore, Singapore – 108,981 cameras for 281 square miles = 387.56 cameras per square mile
  4. Seoul, South Korea – 77,814 cameras for 234 square miles = 333.01 cameras per square mile
  5. Moscow, Russia – 213,000 cameras for 970 square miles = 219.7 cameras per square mile
  6. London, United Kingdom – 127,373 cameras for 607 square miles = 209.86 cameras per square mile
  7. New York, United States – 56,190 cameras for 300 square miles = 187.06 cameras per square mile
  8. Hyderabad — 440,299 cameras for 2,802 square miles = 157.14 cameras per square mile
  9. Mumbai, India – 63,598 cameras for 438 square miles = 145.13 cameras per square mile
  10. Mexico City, Mexico – 80,000 cameras for 573 square miles = 140 cameras per square mile

The 10 most populated cities in the world (and their camera figures)

As most of the heaviest surveilled cities aren’t in the top 10 most populated cities, let’s see how the world’s most heavily-populated cities compare when it comes to their camera figures per 1,000 people and per square mile:

  1. Tokyo, Japan – 39,504 cameras for 37,274,000 people = 1.06 cameras per 1,000 people and 7.54 cameras per square mile
  2. Shanghai, China – 10,631,102 cameras for 28,516,904 people = 372.8 cameras per 1,000 people and 4,342.65 cameras per square mile
  3. Dhaka, Bangladesh – 16,000 cameras for 22,478,116 people = 0.71 cameras per 1,000 people and 138.13 cameras per square mile
  4. São Paulo, Brazil – 23,415 cameras for 22,429,800 people = 1.04 cameras per 1,000 people and 7.63 cameras per square mile
  5. Mexico City, Mexico – 80,000 cameras for 22,085,140 people = 3.62 cameras per 1,000 people and 139.53 cameras per square mile
  6. Cairo, Egypt – 46,562 cameras for 21,750,020 people = 2.14 cameras per 1,000 people and 39.09 cameras per square mile
  7. Beijing, China – 7,953,066 cameras for 21,333,332 people = 372.08 cameras per 1,000 people and 1,255.16 cameras per square mile
  8. Mumbai, India – 63,598 cameras for 20,961,472 people = 3.03 cameras per 1,000 people and 145.13 cameras per square mile
  9. Osaka, Japan – 30,000 cameras for 19,059,856 people = 1.57 cameras per 1,000 people and 5.96 cameras per square mile
  10. Chongqing, China – 6,290,903 cameras for 16,874,740 people = 372.8 cameras per 1,000 people and 371.17 cameras per square mile

CCTV, crime, and safety

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras serve many purposes, ranging from crime prevention to traffic monitoring to observing industrial operations in environments not suitable for humans. The digital age has boosted the prevalence of CCTV surveillance. Cameras are getting better and cheaper, while live video streams can be remotely accessed, stored on the internet, and passed around. The adoption of face recognition technology makes it possible for both public and private entities to instantly check the identity of anyone who passes by a CCTV camera.

Depending on whom you ask, the increased prevalence and capabilities of CCTV surveillance could make society safer and more efficient, could trample on our rights to privacy and freedom of movement, or both. No matter which side you argue, the fact is that live video surveillance is ramping up worldwide.

A primary argument in favor of CCTV surveillance is improved law enforcement and crime prevention. We compared the number of public CCTV cameras with the crime indices reported by Numbeo, which are based on surveys of that site’s visitors.

Correlation between # of CCTV cameras and crime index

As you can see from the above chart, a higher number of cameras just barely correlates with a lower crime index.

Broadly speaking, more cameras doesn’t necessarily reduce crime rates.

China leads the world in CCTV surveillance

Estimates vary on the number of CCTV cameras in China, but, as we’ve already explored, IHS Markit’s latest report estimates that 54 percent of the world’s 1 billion cameras are located in China, which equates to a total of 540 million or 372.8 per 1,000 people.

While astronomical, we can see that other estimates place similar–if not higher–figures on these cities. For example, in Shenzhen, it was reported that there were 1.34m cameras in 2017 with 16.68m planned (our estimate suggests there are currently 4.78m). And in Hangzhou, in 2014, there were reportedly 130 cameras per square kilometer. Based on a city size of 16,841 KM², this equates to over 2.5m cameras. Our current estimate places it at just less than 3m for 2022.

Furthermore, IHS has provided other higher estimates in previous years. In 2017, it was quoted as suggesting that China would have 626 million cameras within three years. This would create a figure of 432.2 cameras per 1,000 people. That’s nearly one camera for every two people.

Based on these projections, let’s look at the lower and higher estimates for each Chinese city:

While it goes without saying that the highest number of cameras are found in the most populated cities, we can see that some cities will have a far higher density of cameras than others (per square mile). Based on these calculations Shenzhen would have at least, 6,220 cameras per square mile, followed by Wuhan with 5,429, and Shanghai with 4,323 per square mile.

China is also a fervent adopter of face recognition surveillance. It is often used to restrict individuals’ freedom of movement, such as restricting access to public transportation. Cameras equipped with face recognition technology are put in place at transportation hubs to enforce these rules.

Methodology

Comparitech researchers collated a number of resources to get an estimate of the number of public CCTV cameras in use. We focused on the world’s 150 most heavily-populated cities but omitted any city where we couldn’t find enough data. This year, the city of Sanaa in Yemen replaced the city of Milan in Italy. Delhi’s population is only for the metropolitan area which our camera figures cover.

Our city sizes were taken from government sources or citypopulation.de where we found the area size that correlated best with the population figures we have. Often, this is the metropolitan area rather than the city as camera figures spread into these areas, especially on subways and buses.

Due to new data from authoritative sources, some figures may be considerably higher or lower than our previous study which relied on some estimates.

Where possible, we have only included public CCTV cameras, including cameras installed on public buildings, cameras used by law enforcement, cameras installed on public transport, and traffic cameras with surveillance capabilities (i.e. automatic number plate recognition). However, in some instances, it may not be clear what cameras are included, meaning some private camera figures may also be included in the totals. We believe this may be the case for Indore.

Due to a wide range of sources reporting estimates and a general lack of public information regarding CCTV cameras, actual figures may be higher or lower than what is indicated. To try and ensure our study is as fair and accurate as possible, we have opted for the lower figure where two different ones have been quoted.

Most of the data sources used are from the last few years but, in some cases, only older data sources were found. The dates of the sources are listed in our sources sheet.

The cities omitted due to lack of data are: Dar Es Salaam, Douala, Yaounde, Kinshasa, Kumasi, Malappuram, Nagoya, Kuwait City, Port Harcourt, Faisalabad, and Jeddah.

Sources: For a full list of sources by country, please request access here.

Data researchers: Charlotte Bond, Rebecca Moody

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