London
1,572 km²
Sydney
12,368 km²
UK
Australia
Area Comparison
London is 7.9x smaller than Sydney
Population Comparison
London has 1.7x more people than Sydney
Yes — Sydney is 7.9x larger than London by area. Sydney spans 12,368 km² (4,775 mi²) while London covers 1,572 km² (607 mi²) — a difference of 10,796 km². You could fit London inside Sydney approximately 7 times.
To put London's size in perspective, its area of 1,572 km² is about 1.4x smaller than Tokyo (city proper). Meanwhile, Sydney at 12,368 km² is about 2.0x the size of Shanghai.
Picture London another way: its area is large enough to fit about 220,000 American football fields, 27 times the area of Manhattan, or 15 times the area of Paris. Sydney, by comparison, equals about 1,700,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Paris, or 100 times the area of San Francisco.
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.1 million people in 2024. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.1 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years.
Known as "The Big Smoke", London covers 1,572 km² with a population of 9.0 million. The city was established in 43. London is known for Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the London Underground.
London has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years, tracing its roots back to Roman times around 47 AD.
Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and is the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west, and about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and the Hawkesbury River in the north and north-west, to the Royal National Park and Macarthur in the south and south-west.
Nicknamed "Sydneysiders", Sydney has an area of 12,368 km² and is home to 5.3 million people. It was established in 1788. Visitors come for Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Sydney Trains.
Sydney stretches roughly 80 km from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west.
Looking beyond city limits, the Sydney metropolitan area covers 12,368 km², which is 1.5x larger than greater London at 8,382 km². The London metro area is also more populous, with 14.3 million people compared to 5.3 million.
London has a population density of 5,712 people per km² — a densely populated city. Sydney, with 429 people per km², is a low-density, sprawling urban area. London is dramatically more crowded, with 13.3x the population density.
This comparison spans continents — London in Europe versus Sydney in Oceania. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
London has a oceanic climate while Sydney experiences humid subtropical conditions. When it's noon in Sydney, it's 2:00 AM in London — a 10-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
London fits inside Sydney ~7 times
Density Gap
London is 13.3x more densely populated
Time Difference
10 hours apart
History
London is ~1,745 years older
London covers 1,572 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Bangkok (1,569 km²), Bogotá (1,578 km²), São Paulo (1,521 km²), Johannesburg (1,644 km²), or Mexico City (1,485 km²).
Sydney covers 12,368 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Chengdu (14,378 km²), Xi'an (10,097 km²), Melbourne (9,993 km²), Brisbane (15,826 km²), or Beijing (16,411 km²).
The straight-line distance from London to Sydney is 16,994 km (10,560 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~20h 30m.
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