Quick facts
Kunming overview
Kunming (orange) and the other large cities of China
Kunming lies in Yunnan in China at 25.04°N, 102.72°E, about 1,895 m above sea level. The local time zone is Asia/Shanghai (UTC+8); GeoNames classifies it as a regional capital.
It is smaller than Nanning (5,977,185) and larger than Shijiazhuang (5,758,403). 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 2,087 km away; the nearest large city is Majie, 8 km from Kunming.
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 Kunming
Largest cities in China
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Kunming?
Kunming has about 5,950,578 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.
Is Kunming the capital of China?
No. The capital of China is Beijing (18,960,744 people), about 2,087 km away. Kunming is the 26th largest city of the country and a regional capital.
How big is Kunming compared with the rest of China?
Its 5,950,578 residents are 0.4% of the 1,411,968,572 people living in China today. Shanghai is larger with 24,874,500 people.
Where is Kunming?
In Yunnan, China, at latitude 25.04 and longitude 102.72, 1,895 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Majie (8 km), Anning (27 km), Haikou (32 km).
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Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Kunming Population 2026 — China. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/china/kunming/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/china/kunming/">Kunming 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.