Brussels
161 km²
Shenzhen
1,997 km²
Belgium
China
Area Comparison
Brussels is 12.4x smaller than Shenzhen
Population Comparison
Brussels has 13.9x fewer people than Shenzhen
In terms of area, Shenzhen is 12.4x the size of Brussels. Shenzhen spans 1,997 km² (771 mi²) while Brussels covers 161 km² (62 mi²) — a difference of 1,836 km². You could fit Brussels inside Shenzhen approximately 12 times.
To put Brussels's size in perspective, its area of 161 km² is roughly the same size as Washington D.C.. Meanwhile, Shenzhen at 1,997 km² is roughly the same size as Tokyo (city proper).
Brussels's footprint is roughly about 23,000 American football fields, 80 times the area of Monaco, or 47 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Shenzhen, by comparison, equals about 280,000 American football fields, 34 times the area of Manhattan, or 19 times the area of Paris.
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country. It is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, and is separate from the Flemish Region (Flanders), within which it forms an enclave, and the Walloon Region (Wallonia), located less than 4 km (2.5 mi) south.
Known as "Capital of Europe", Brussels covers 161 km² with a population of 1.3 million. The city was established in 1989. Brussels is known for Grand Place, Manneken Pis, Atomium, among other attractions.
The Brussels-Capital Region comprises 19 municipalities and forms an enclave entirely within the Flemish Region.
Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong, bordering Hong Kong to the south, Dongguan to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, and Macau to the southwest. With a population of 17.5 million in 2020, Shenzhen is the third-most-populous city by urban population in China after Shanghai and Beijing.
Nicknamed "China's Silicon Valley", Shenzhen has an area of 1,997 km² and is home to 17.6 million people. It was established in 1979. Visitors come for Ping An Finance Centre, Window of the World, OCT Loft, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Shenzhen Metro.
Shenzhen grew from a small town into China's third-most-populous urban city, hitting 17.5 million residents by 2020
Brussels has a population density of 7,826 people per km² — a densely populated city. Shenzhen, with 8,793 people per km², is a densely populated city. Both cities have comparable density, though Shenzhen is slightly more compact.
Size Ratio
Brussels fits inside Shenzhen ~12 times
Brussels covers 161 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Minneapolis (149 km²), Washington D.C. (177 km²), Miami (143 km²), Stockholm (188 km²), or Buenos Aires (203 km²).
Shenzhen covers 1,997 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Ho Chi Minh City (2,061 km²), Tokyo (2,194 km²), Riyadh (1,798 km²), Houston (1,725 km²), or Johannesburg (1,644 km²).
The straight-line distance from Brussels to Shenzhen is 9,365 km (5,819 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~11h 31m.
Want to explore more? Compare city sizes for any two cities worldwide, or share your location live with friends.