State of Brazil
São Paulo
São Paulo is a state of Brazil. It covers about 249,000 km² (96,000 mi²), the 12th largest of the 27 states and districts in Natural Earth’s file for Brazil, and about the same size as Guinea. About 44.4 million people live there (Wikidata, 2022).
200 km
- São Paulo
- Guinea
Facts
| Area, measured | 249,000 km²96,000 mi² |
|---|---|
| Official area | 248,000 km²Wikidata · agrees with our measure |
| Share of Brazil | 2.9%of the area of the 27 states and districts |
| Rank by area | 12th of 27states and districts of Brazil |
| Population | 44.4 millionWikidata, 2022 · the census year of every unit |
| Density | 179 people per km² |
| Capital | São Paulo |
| Latitude range | 25°S to 20°S |
| Type | StateBR-SP |
What the numbers say about São Paulo
- São Paulo covers 2.9% of the area of Brazil and ranks 1st of 27 by population, against 12th by area.
- It would take 34.1 states and districts the size of São Paulo to cover Brazil.
- São Paulo holds 22% of the 203.1 million people that Wikidata’s 2022 figures give for the 27 states and districts together: about 1 in 5.
- The largest, Amazonas, is 6.30× the size of São Paulo; the smallest, Federal District, is 2.3% of it.
- Closest in size within Brazil: Piauí (252,000 km², 1.01×) and Rondônia (238,000 km², 1.04×).
- Counted as a country, São Paulo would be larger than 162 of the 239 countries and territories listed on sizeversus, and would rank 78th by area, between Ecuador (255,000 km²) and Guinea (244,000 km²).
- With 44.4 million people it would rank 34th of 238 by population.
- São Paulo has 179 people per km², about the density of Uganda, which has 195 per km².
- That makes São Paulo the 3rd most densely populated of the 27 states and districts, 7.45× the average for Brazil (24 per km²).
- São Paulo lies at 22°S, close to the equator, where a standard web map (Web Mercator) is nearly true to size: it inflates area by only about 1.2×.
- Laid out flat, São Paulo stretches about 614 km north to south and 923 km east to west.
- Wikidata's official figure of 248,000 km² agrees with our measured area of 249,000 km², to within 2%.
About the same size as
Beside the regions of other countries
The closest region by area and by people in each of the other countries that have regional pages here, within a factor of 2. All 395 regions side by side.
- ChinaAreaGuangxi1.05× · 237,000 km²PeopleJiangxi0.98× · 45.2 million (2020)
- United StatesAreaMichigan0.99× · 250,000 km²PeopleCalifornia1.12× · 39.5 million (2020)
- IndiaAreaUttar Pradesh1.03× · 240,000 km²PeopleOdisha1.06× · 42.0 million (2011)
- CanadaAreaNewfoundland and Labrador62% · 403,000 km²Peoplenone within 2×
- AustraliaAreaVictoria1.09× · 228,000 km²Peoplenone within 2×
- MexicoAreaChihuahua1.00× · 248,000 km²Peoplenone within 2×
Where São Paulo sits in Brazil
All 27 drawn on one equal-area map, so sizes are comparable. Select another to open it.
Compare São Paulo
Share this outline
Sources and method
- Outline
- Natural Earth, 1:10m Admin 1 - States, Provinces, public domain
- Boundary
- De facto, as drawn by Natural Earth.
- Area
- Measured on the WGS84 ellipsoid from the full-detail outline, shown rounded. The region’s whole area is counted, every island included.
- Official figures
- Area, population and capital from Wikidata (CC0), fetched 2026-11-12
- Population
- Wikidata, 2022. Brazil’s units share the 2022 figures where Wikidata has them; the year is shown wherever the figure is.
- Matching
- Countries come from Natural Earth’s country file. Places whose status is contested and dependencies are never used as automatic matches. A region under 2,500 km² is matched against the small countries and island nations.
- Data built
- 2026-11-12