Lagos
1,172 km²
Shanghai
6,341 km²
Nigeria
China
Area Comparison
Lagos is 5.4x smaller than Shanghai
Population Comparison
Lagos has 1.6x fewer people than Shanghai
Yes — Shanghai is 5.4x larger than Lagos by area. Shanghai spans 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) while Lagos covers 1,172 km² (453 mi²) — a difference of 5,169 km². You could fit Lagos inside Shanghai approximately 5 times.
To put Lagos's size in perspective, its area of 1,172 km² is about 1.3x the size of Berlin. Meanwhile, Shanghai at 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro.
Picture Lagos another way: its area is large enough to fit about 164,000 American football fields, 20 times the area of Manhattan, or 11 times the area of Paris. Shanghai works out to about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 times the area of Paris.
Lagos, or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan port city in southwestern Nigeria. As of November 2025, the size of the city's population has been estimated to be between 17 and 21 million residents, making Lagos the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and one of the fastest-growing megacities in the world.
Known as "Lasgidi", Lagos covers 1,172 km² with a population of 15.4 million. The city was established in 1472. Lagos is known for Victoria Island, Lekki Conservation Centre, Nike Art Gallery, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Lagos Rail (Blue & Red Lines).
Lagos is the most populous urban area on the African continent, with an estimated 17 to 21 million residents as of 2025.
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.
Nicknamed "Pearl of the Orient", Shanghai has an area of 6,341 km² and is home to 24.9 million people. It was established in 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.
Looking beyond city limits, the Shanghai metropolitan area covers 6,341 km², which is 2.3x larger than greater Lagos at 2,706 km². The Shanghai metro area is also more populous, with 28.5 million people compared to 21.0 million.
Lagos has a population density of 13,131 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Shanghai, with 3,922 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Lagos is dramatically more crowded, with 3.3x the population density.
This comparison spans continents — Lagos in Africa versus Shanghai in Asia. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Lagos has a tropical savanna climate while Shanghai experiences humid subtropical conditions. Winters differ dramatically: Lagos stays around 27°C while Shanghai drops to 5°C. When it's noon in Shanghai, it's 5:00 AM in Lagos — a 7-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Lagos fits inside Shanghai ~5 times
Density Gap
Lagos is 3.3x more densely populated
Time Difference
7 hours apart
History
Shanghai is ~181 years older
Lagos covers 1,172 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include San Antonio (1,209 km²), Rio de Janeiro (1,221 km²), Hong Kong (1,114 km²), Rome (1,285 km²), or Los Angeles (1,302 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 Lagos to Shanghai is 12,226 km (7,597 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~14h 53m.
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