Shanghai
6,341 km²
Beijing
16,411 km²
China
China
Area Comparison
Shanghai is 2.6x smaller than Beijing
Population Comparison
Shanghai has 1.2x more people than Beijing
Yes — Beijing is 2.6x larger than Shanghai by area. Beijing spans 16,411 km² (6,336 mi²) while Shanghai covers 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) — a difference of 10,070 km². You could fit Shanghai inside Beijing approximately 2 times.
To put Shanghai's size in perspective, its area of 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro. Meanwhile, Beijing at 16,411 km² is about 2.6x the size of Shanghai.
Picture Shanghai another way: its area is large enough to fit about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 times the area of Paris. Beijing works out to about 2,300,000 American football fields, 160 times the area of Paris, or 140 times the area of San Francisco.
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.
Known as "Pearl of the Orient", Shanghai covers 6,341 km² with a population of 24.9 million. The city was established in 1291. Shanghai is known for The Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Shanghai Metro.
Shanghai's urban population reached 29.5 million in 2025, making it the most populous urban area in all of China.
Beijing, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's most populous national capital city, as well as China's second-largest city by urban area, after Shanghai. It is located in Northern China, and is governed as a municipality under the direct administration of the State Council with 16 urban districts.
Often called "Northern Capital", Beijing has an area of 16,411 km² and is home to 21.5 million people. The city dates back to 1045 BC. Visitors come for Forbidden City, Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Beijing Subway.
With over 22 million residents, Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city.
Looking beyond city limits, the Beijing metropolitan area covers 16,411 km², which is 2.6x larger than greater Shanghai at 6,341 km². The Shanghai metro area is also more populous, with 28.5 million people compared to 21.5 million.
Shanghai has a population density of 3,922 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Beijing, with 1,313 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Shanghai is noticeably denser, packing 3.0 times more people per square kilometer.
Both Shanghai and Beijing are in China, making this a domestic size comparison that reveals how differently cities can develop within the same nation.
Shanghai has a humid subtropical climate while Beijing experiences humid continental conditions.
Size Ratio
Shanghai fits inside Beijing ~2 times
Density Gap
Shanghai is 3.0x more densely populated
History
Beijing is ~2,336 years older
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).
Beijing covers 16,411 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Hangzhou (16,854 km²), Brisbane (15,826 km²), Chengdu (14,378 km²), Sydney (12,368 km²), or Xi'an (10,097 km²).
The straight-line distance from Shanghai to Beijing is 1,067 km (663 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~1h 45m. See full distance details, including timezone difference and city facts.
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