Investigating sinking cities worldwide

Land is sinking in some major cities worldwide, including Mexico City, Mexico and Medan, Indonesia, according to a new study of satellite observations
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Springer Nature
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Land is sinking in some major cities worldwide, including Mexico City, Mexico and Medan, Indonesia, according to satellite observations of 465 cities published in Nature Cities. The findings could help to identify hotspots where action is needed to reduce risks to buildings, infrastructure, and communities.

Land subsidence is the gradual sinking of the ground, which can damage buildings, foundations, and drainage and sewage systems, and may increase flood risks. However, information on land subsidence dynamics remains limited, which makes it difficult for policymakers to identify where risks are intensifying and where urgent intervention may be needed. Previous assessments have often used different methods or time periods, or only focused on small numbers of cities, which has made global comparisons difficult.

Shengli Tao, Xie Hu, and colleagues analysed high-resolution satellite data collected between 2014 and 2023 to measure land movement across 465 cities in 107 countries. Parts of Mexico City recorded the fastest localised sinking, at approximately 217 mm per year, although its citywide median sinking rate was 8 mm per year.Torreón (also in Mexico) also experienced about 17 mm of sinking per year. At a regional level, the most severe sinking rates were found in Asia, with Medan (approximately 33 mm per year), Bandung, Indonesia (22 mm per year), and Isfahan, Iran (11 mm per year) experiencing the highest citywide median sinking rates.

Annual land movement was generally stable in Boston, New York City, London, Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, Montevideo, and Naples, with estimated sinking and uplift rates ranging from 0.1 to 1.9 mm per year. Given their small size, these measurements should be interpreted cautiously.

The authors caution that the nine-year study focused on relative local land subsidence of large cities, may exclude areas beyond administrative boundaries, and has greater uncertainty where ground-station coverage is sparse. Continued monitoring could confirm whether these trends persist and support targeted responses.

Article details: A global view of urban land subsidence and its changing trajectories

DOI: 10.1038/s44284-026-00527-8

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