Dhaka
368 km²
Shanghai
6,341 km²
Bangladesh
China
Area Comparison
Dhaka is 17.2x smaller than Shanghai
Population Comparison
Dhaka has 1.5x fewer people than Shanghai
In terms of area, Shanghai is 17.2x the size of Dhaka. Shanghai spans 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) while Dhaka covers 368 km² (142 mi²) — a difference of 5,973 km². You could fit Dhaka inside Shanghai approximately 17 times.
To put Dhaka's size in perspective, its area of 368 km² is about 1.6x smaller than Seoul. Meanwhile, Shanghai at 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro.
Dhaka's footprint is roughly about 52,000 American football fields, 180 times the area of Monaco, or 110 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Shanghai, by comparison, equals about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 times the area of Paris.
Dhaka, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. With an estimated population of 36.6 million, Dhaka is the second largest city by population in the world, and is widely considered to be the most densely populated built-up urban area in the world. Dhaka is an important cultural, economic, and scientific hub of Eastern South Asia with its most affluent neighborhood Gulshan being among the most posh neighborhoods in South Asia.
Known as "Dacca", Dhaka covers 368 km² with a population of 16.8 million. Dhaka is known for Lalbagh Fort, Ahsan Manzil, Gulshan neighborhood, among other attractions.
Dhaka is the second-largest city in the world by population, with an estimated 36.6 million residents.
Shanghai is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. It has a population of 29,558,908 in the urban area as of 2025. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River bisecting the city. Shanghai is a global center for finance, business and economics, research, science and technology, manufacturing, transportation, tourism, and culture. The Port of Shanghai is the world's busiest container port.
Often called "Pearl of the Orient", Shanghai has an area of 6,341 km² and is home to 24.9 million people. The city dates back to 1291. Visitors come for The Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Shanghai Metro.
Shanghai's urban population reached 29.5 million in 2025, making it the most populous urban area in all of China.
Dhaka has a population density of 45,652 people per km² — one of the most densely packed urban areas on Earth. Shanghai, with 3,922 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Dhaka is dramatically more crowded, with 11.6x the population density.
Size Ratio
Dhaka fits inside Shanghai ~17 times
Density Gap
Dhaka is 11.6x more densely populated
Dhaka covers 368 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Seattle (369 km²), Philadelphia (370 km²), Portland (376 km²), Atlanta (348 km²), or Denver (401 km²).
Shanghai covers 6,341 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Perth (6,417 km²), Istanbul (5,461 km²), Guangzhou (7,434 km²), Wuhan (8,569 km²), or Dubai (4,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Dhaka to Shanghai is 3,165 km (1,966 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~4h 13m.
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