Oslo
454 km²
Shanghai
6,341 km²
Norway
China
Area Comparison
Oslo is 14.0x smaller than Shanghai
Population Comparison
Oslo has 34.5x fewer people than Shanghai
Yes — Shanghai is 14.0x larger than Oslo by area. Shanghai spans 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) while Oslo covers 454 km² (175 mi²) — a difference of 5,887 km². You could fit Oslo inside Shanghai approximately 13 times.
To put Oslo's size in perspective, its area of 454 km² is about 1.3x smaller than Seoul. Meanwhile, Shanghai at 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro.
Picture Oslo another way: its area is large enough to fit about 64,000 American football fields, 130 times the area of Central Park, or 8 times the area of Manhattan. Shanghai, by comparison, equals about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 times the area of Paris.
Oslo is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of 724,290 in 2025, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,110,887 in 2025, and the metropolitan area had an estimated population of 1,546,706 in 2021.
Known as "Tigerstaden", Oslo covers 454 km² with a population of 0.7 million. The city was established in 1048. Oslo is known for Vigeland Park, Oslo Opera House, Akershus Fortress, among other attractions.
Oslo is both a county and a municipality, with the city itself home to about 724,000 residents in 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.
Oslo has a population density of 1,586 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Shanghai, with 3,922 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Shanghai is noticeably denser, packing 2.5 times more people per square kilometer.
Size Ratio
Oslo fits inside Shanghai ~13 times
Density Gap
Shanghai is 2.5x more densely populated
History
Oslo is ~243 years older
Oslo covers 454 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Prague (496 km²), Vienna (415 km²), Montreal (498 km²), Denver (401 km²), or Warsaw (517 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 Oslo to Shanghai is 8,087 km (5,025 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~10h 1m.
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