Municipality of China
Shanghai
上海市Shanghai is a municipality of China. It covers about 6,750 km² (2,600 mi²), the 31st largest of the 31 provinces and regions in Natural Earth’s file for China, and 1.18× the size of Brunei. About 24.9 million people live there (Wikidata, 2020).
50 km
- Shanghai
- Brunei
Facts
| Area, measured | 6,750 km²2,600 mi² |
|---|---|
| Official area | 6,340 km²Wikidata · 6.4% below our measure |
| Share of China | less than 0.1%of the area of the 31 provinces and regions |
| Rank by area | 31st of 31provinces and regions of China |
| Population | 24.9 millionWikidata, 2020 · the census year of every unit |
| Density | 3,687 people per km² |
| Latitude range | 31°N to 32°N |
| Type | MunicipalityCN-SH |
What the numbers say about Shanghai
- Shanghai covers less than 0.1% of the area of China and ranks 23rd of 31 by population, against 31st by area.
- It would take 1,390 regions the size of Shanghai to cover China.
- Shanghai holds 1.8% of the 1.41 billion people that Wikidata’s 2020 figures give for the 31 provinces and regions together: about 1 in 57.
- The largest, Xinjiang, is 242× the size of Shanghai, the smallest of the 31.
- Closest in size within China: Tianjin (11,500 km², 1.70×) and Beijing (16,300 km², 2.41×).
- Counted as a country, Shanghai would be larger than 69 of the 239 countries and territories listed on sizeversus, and would rank 171st by area, between French Southern and Antarctic Lands (6,990 km²) and Palestine (6,070 km²).
- With 24.9 million people it would rank 56th of 238 by population.
- Shanghai has 3,687 people per km².
- That makes Shanghai the most densely populated of the 31 provinces and regions, 24.5× the average for China (150 per km²).
- Shanghai has 1,142× the density of Tibet, the least crowded of the 31: 3,687 against 3.2 people per km².
- On a standard web map (Web Mercator), a place at 31°N is drawn about 1.4× too large in area, so Shanghai looks bigger there than it is.
- Laid out flat, Shanghai stretches about 128 km north to south and 107 km east to west.
- Our measured 6,750 km² is 6.4% above Wikidata's official figure of 6,340 km². Official figures can include inland water or count land that an outline draws differently. This difference is flagged for review.
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.
- United StatesAreaDelaware1.30× · 5,170 km²PeopleFlorida1.15× · 21.5 million (2020)
- IndiaAreaSikkim0.97× · 6,940 km²PeopleHaryana0.98× · 25.4 million (2011)
- GermanyAreanone within 2×PeopleNorth Rhine-Westphalia1.39× · 17.9 million (2022)
- FranceAreaCorsica (France)78% · 8,670 km²Peoplenone within 2×
- ItalyAreaFriuli-Venezia Giulia0.92× · 7,340 km²Peoplenone within 2×
- SpainAreaBasque Country0.96× · 7,060 km²Peoplenone within 2×
- JapanAreaShimane0.98× · 6,880 km²PeopleTokyo1.74× · 14.3 million (2022)
- BrazilAreaFederal District1.16× · 5,790 km²PeopleMinas Gerais1.21× · 20.5 million (2022)
- CanadaAreaPrince Edward Island1.18× · 5,730 km²PeopleOntario1.75× · 14.2 million (2021)
- MexicoAreaColima1.15× · 5,880 km²PeopleState of Mexico1.54× · 16.2 million (2015)
- ThailandAreaKalasin0.99× · 6,840 km²Peoplenone within 2×
Where Shanghai sits in China
All 31 drawn on one equal-area map, so sizes are comparable. Select another to open it.
Compare Shanghai
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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, 2020. China’s units share the 2020 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