Philadelphia
370 km²
Shenzhen
1,997 km²
United States
China
Area Comparison
Philadelphia is 5.4x smaller than Shenzhen
Population Comparison
Philadelphia has 11.0x fewer people than Shenzhen
Yes — Shenzhen is 5.4x larger than Philadelphia by area. Shenzhen spans 1,997 km² (771 mi²) while Philadelphia covers 370 km² (143 mi²) — a difference of 1,627 km². You could fit Philadelphia inside Shenzhen approximately 5 times.
To put Philadelphia's size in perspective, its area of 370 km² is about 1.6x smaller than Seoul. Meanwhile, Shenzhen at 1,997 km² is roughly the same size as Tokyo (city proper).
Picture Philadelphia another way: its area is large enough to fit about 52,000 American football fields, 180 times the area of Monaco, or 110 times the area of Central Park. Shenzhen, by comparison, equals about 280,000 American football fields, 34 times the area of Manhattan, or 19 times the area of Paris.
Philadelphia, colloquially referred to as Philly, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, and the sixth-most populous city in the United States, with a Census-estimated population of 1,574,281 in July 2025. The Philadelphia metropolitan area has 6.33 million residents and is the nation's ninth-largest metropolitan area. Philadelphia is known for its culture, cuisine, and history, maintaining contemporary influence in business and technology, sports, and music.
Known as "Philly", Philadelphia covers 370 km² with a population of 1.6 million. The city was established in 1682. Philadelphia is known for Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Philly Cheesesteak, among other attractions.
Philadelphia is the sixth-most populous US city, with an estimated 1,574,281 residents as of July 2025.
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.
Also known as "China's Silicon Valley", Shenzhen has an area of 1,997 km² and is home to 17.6 million people. It was established in 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
Philadelphia has a population density of 4,324 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Shenzhen, with 8,793 people per km², is a densely populated city. Shenzhen is noticeably denser, packing 2.0 times more people per square kilometer.
Size Ratio
Philadelphia fits inside Shenzhen ~5 times
Density Gap
Shenzhen is 2.0x more densely populated
History
Philadelphia is ~297 years older
Philadelphia covers 370 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Seattle (369 km²), Dhaka (368 km²), Portland (376 km²), Atlanta (348 km²), or Denver (401 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 Philadelphia to Shenzhen is 13,000 km (8,078 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~15h 48m.
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