Beijing Population 2026 — China

Quick facts

GeoNames · UN WPP

Population

18,960,744

city proper · GeoNames

Rank in China

#4 of 644

largest cities tracked

World rank

of 5,279 cities ≥ 100k

Region

Beijing

first-level division

Status

National capital

Elevation

49 m

above sea level

Time zone

UTC+8

Asia/Shanghai

Coordinates

39.91°N 116.4°E

Share of country

1.3%

of 1.41B people

Beijing overview

Updated October 2026

Beijing (orange) and the other large cities of China

Beijing lies in China at 39.91°N, 116.4°E, about 49 m above sea level. The local time zone is Asia/Shanghai (UTC+8); GeoNames classifies it as a national capital.

It is smaller than Chengdu (20,937,757) and larger than Guangzhou (18,676,605). The largest city in China is Shanghai with 24,874,500 people.

The nearest large city is Langfang, about 51 km away, followed by Sanhe (58 km).

China as a whole has a live population of 1,411,968,572 (-0.2% a year) and ranks #2 of 238 countries — see the China population page for the full statistics and the China atlas for provinces, terrain and society maps.

Cities near Beijing

Within 200 km · straight-line distance

City	Distance	Population
Langfang Hebei	51 km	868,066
Sanhe Hebei	58 km	965,075
Tianjin Tianjin	108 km	13,866,009
Xuanhua Hebei	138 km	373,422
Baoding Hebei	140 km	2,739,887
Tangshan Hebei	155 km	3,372,102
Zhangjiakou Hebei	162 km	692,602
Chengde Hebei	176 km	920,395

Largest cities in China

Top 10 · all 644 →

#	City	Region	Population
1	Shanghai	Shanghai	24,874,500
2	Chongqing	Chongqing	22,000,000
3	Chengdu	Sichuan	20,937,757
4	BeijingCapital	Beijing	18,960,744
5	Guangzhou	Guangdong	18,676,605
6	Shenzhen	Guangdong	17,494,398
7	Tianjin	Tianjin	13,866,009
8	Wuhan	Hubei	13,739,000
9	Xi’an	Shaanxi	12,952,907
10	Hangzhou	Zhejiang	11,936,010

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Beijing?

Beijing has about 18,960,744 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.

Is Beijing the capital of China?

Yes — Beijing is the national capital of China.

How big is Beijing compared with the rest of China?

Its 18,960,744 residents are 1.3% of the 1,411,968,572 people living in China today. Shanghai is larger with 24,874,500 people.

Where is Beijing?

In China, at latitude 39.91 and longitude 116.4, 49 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Langfang (51 km), Sanhe (58 km), Tianjin (108 km).

Explore more

📊 China population & statistics 🗺️ China atlas 🏙️ All cities in China 🌍 Largest cities in the world

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APA

Glostats. (2026). Beijing Population 2026 — China. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/china/beijing/

HTML<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/china/beijing/">Beijing Population 2026 — China</a> — Glostats

Figures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.

City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Distances are great-circle distances between city centres. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.