Quick facts
Chengdu overview
Chengdu (orange) and the other large cities of China
Chengdu lies in Sichuan in China at 30.67°N, 104.07°E, about 499 m above sea level. The local time zone is Asia/Shanghai (UTC+8); GeoNames classifies it as a regional capital.
It is smaller than Chongqing (22,000,000) and larger than Beijing (18,960,744). The largest city in China is Shanghai with 24,874,500 people; the capital, Beijing, has 18,960,744.
The national capital, Beijing, is about 1,517 km away; the nearest large city is Deyang, 60 km from Chengdu.
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 Chengdu
Largest cities in China
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Chengdu?
Chengdu has about 20,937,757 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.
Is Chengdu the capital of China?
No. The capital of China is Beijing (18,960,744 people), about 1,517 km away. Chengdu is the 3rd largest city of the country and a regional capital.
How big is Chengdu compared with the rest of China?
Its 20,937,757 residents are 1.5% of the 1,411,968,572 people living in China today. Shanghai is larger with 24,874,500 people.
Where is Chengdu?
In Sichuan, China, at latitude 30.67 and longitude 104.07, 499 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Deyang (60 km), Meishan (73 km), Mianzhu, Deyang, Sichuan (76 km).
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Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Chengdu Population 2026 — China. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/china/chengdu/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/china/chengdu/">Chengdu Population 2026 — China</a> — GlostatsFigures 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.