Lisbon
100 km²
Shenzhen
1,997 km²
Portugal
China
Area Comparison
Lisbon is 20.0x smaller than Shenzhen
Population Comparison
Lisbon has 31.9x fewer people than Shenzhen
Yes — Shenzhen is 20.0x larger than Lisbon by area. Shenzhen spans 1,997 km² (771 mi²) while Lisbon covers 100 km² (39 mi²) — a difference of 1,897 km². You could fit Lisbon inside Shenzhen approximately 19 times.
To put Lisbon's size in perspective, its area of 100 km² is roughly the same size as Paris (city proper). Meanwhile, Shenzhen at 1,997 km² is roughly the same size as Tokyo (city proper).
Lisbon's footprint is roughly about 14,000 American football fields, 50 times the area of Monaco, or 29 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Shenzhen works out to about 280,000 American football fields, 34 times the area of Manhattan, or 19 times the area of Paris.
Lisbon is the capital and most populous city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 575,739 as of 2024, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainland Europe's westernmost capital city, and the only one along the Atlantic coast, the others being on islands. The city lies in the western portion of the Iberian Peninsula, on the northern shore of the River Tagus.
Known as "City of Seven Hills", Lisbon covers 100 km² with a population of 0.6 million. The city was founded around 1200 BC. Lisbon is known for Belém Tower, Jerónimos Monastery, Tram 28, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Lisbon Metro.
Lisbon is mainland Europe's westernmost capital city and the only European capital along the Atlantic coast.
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.
Often called "China's Silicon Valley", Shenzhen has an area of 1,997 km² and is home to 17.6 million people. Its history stretches back to 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
Looking beyond city limits, the Lisbon metropolitan area covers 3,015 km², which is 1.5x larger than greater Shenzhen at 1,997 km². The Shenzhen metro area is also more populous, with 17.6 million people compared to 2.9 million.
Lisbon has a population density of 5,500 people per km² — a densely populated city. Shenzhen, with 8,793 people per km², is a densely populated city. Shenzhen is noticeably denser, packing 1.6 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Lisbon in Europe versus Shenzhen in Asia. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Lisbon has a Mediterranean climate while Shenzhen experiences humid subtropical conditions. When it's noon in Shenzhen, it's 4:00 AM in Lisbon — a 8-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Lisbon fits inside Shenzhen ~19 times
Density Gap
Shenzhen is 1.6x more densely populated
Time Difference
8 hours apart
History
Lisbon is ~3,179 years older
Lisbon covers 100 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Barcelona (101 km²), Paris (105 km²), Copenhagen (91 km²), Zurich (88 km²), or Vancouver (115 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 Lisbon to Shenzhen is 10,997 km (6,833 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~13h 26m.
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