Shanghai
6,341 km²
Wuhan
8,569 km²
China
People's Republic of China
Area Comparison
Shanghai is 1.4x smaller than Wuhan
Population Comparison
Shanghai has 2.0x more people than Wuhan
Wuhan is significantly larger, covering 1.4 times the area of Shanghai. Wuhan spans 8,569 km² (3,309 mi²) while Shanghai covers 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) — a difference of 2,228 km².
To put Shanghai's size in perspective, its area of 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro. Meanwhile, Wuhan at 8,569 km² is about 1.4x 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. Wuhan, by comparison, equals about 1,200,000 American football fields, 140 times the area of Manhattan, or 81 times the area of Paris.
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.
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei, China. With a population of 13,739,000, it is the most populous city in Hubei and the seventh-most-populous city in China. It is also one of China's nine national central cities.
Often called "River City", Wuhan has an area of 8,569 km² and is home to 12.3 million people. Visitors come for Yellow Crane Tower, Yangtze River confluence, East Lake, and much more.
Wuhan houses 13.7 million residents, ranking as the seventh-most populous city in all of China.
Shanghai has a population density of 3,922 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Wuhan, with 1,439 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Shanghai is noticeably denser, packing 2.7 times more people per square kilometer.
Density Gap
Shanghai is 2.7x more densely populated
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).
Wuhan covers 8,569 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Guangzhou (7,434 km²), Melbourne (9,993 km²), Xi'an (10,097 km²), Perth (6,417 km²), or Shanghai (6,341 km²).
The straight-line distance from Shanghai to Wuhan is 688 km (428 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~1h 19m.
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