Riyadh
1,798 km²
Shanghai
6,341 km²
Saudi Arabia
China
Area Comparison
Riyadh is 3.5x smaller than Shanghai
Population Comparison
Riyadh has 3.5x fewer people than Shanghai
Yes — Shanghai is 3.5x larger than Riyadh by area. Shanghai spans 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) while Riyadh covers 1,798 km² (694 mi²) — a difference of 4,543 km². You could fit Riyadh inside Shanghai approximately 3 times.
To put Riyadh's size in perspective, its area of 1,798 km² is about 1.1x the size of London. Meanwhile, Shanghai at 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro.
Picture Riyadh another way: its area is large enough to fit about 252,000 American football fields, 30 times the area of Manhattan, or 17 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.
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in the 1950s as an expansion of the 18th-century walled town, following the dismantling of its defensive fortifications.
Riyadh covers 1,798 km² with a population of 7.0 million. The city was established in 1746. Riyadh is known for Kingdom Centre Tower, Masmak Fortress, Al Faisaliah Tower, among other attractions.
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia, sitting on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa.
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.
Often called "Pearl of the Orient", Shanghai has an area of 6,341 km² and is home to 24.9 million people. Its history stretches back to 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.
Riyadh has a population density of 3,899 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Shanghai, with 3,922 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Both cities have comparable density, though Shanghai is slightly more compact.
Size Ratio
Riyadh fits inside Shanghai ~3 times
History
Shanghai is ~455 years older
Riyadh covers 1,798 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Houston (1,725 km²), Johannesburg (1,644 km²), Shenzhen (1,997 km²), Bogotá (1,578 km²), or London (1,572 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 Riyadh to Shanghai is 7,243 km (4,500 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~9h 1m.
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