Ningbo Population 2026 — China

Quick facts

GeoNames · UN WPP

Population

3,731,203

city proper · GeoNames

Rank in China

#43 of 644

largest cities tracked

World rank

#102

of 5,279 cities ≥ 100k

Region

Zhejiang

first-level division

Status

District seat

Elevation

15 m

above sea level

Time zone

UTC+8

Asia/Shanghai

Coordinates

29.88°N 121.55°E

Share of country

0.3%

of 1.41B people

Ningbo overview

Updated October 2026

Ningbo (orange) and the other large cities of China

Ningbo lies in Zhejiang in China at 29.88°N, 121.55°E, about 15 m above sea level. The local time zone is Asia/Shanghai (UTC+8); GeoNames classifies it as a district seat.

It is smaller than Shantou (3,838,900) and larger than Puyang (3,590,000). 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 1,210 km away; the nearest large city is Yuyao, 43 km from Ningbo.

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 Ningbo

Within 200 km · straight-line distance

City	Distance	Population
Yuyao Zhejiang	43 km	114,177
Cixi Zhejiang	44 km	1,457,510
Lianghu Zhejiang	64 km	155,000
Zhoushan Zhejiang	64 km	882,932
Shangyu Zhejiang	67 km	839,747
Shaoxing Zhejiang	95 km	2,300,000
Jiaxing Zhejiang	124 km	1,180,000
Zhuji Zhejiang	127 km	110,721

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 Ningbo?

Ningbo has about 3,731,203 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.

Is Ningbo the capital of China?

No. The capital of China is Beijing (18,960,744 people), about 1,210 km away. Ningbo is the 43rd largest city of the country and a district seat.

How big is Ningbo compared with the rest of China?

Its 3,731,203 residents are 0.3% of the 1,411,968,572 people living in China today. Shanghai is larger with 24,874,500 people.

Where is Ningbo?

In Zhejiang, China, at latitude 29.88 and longitude 121.55, 15 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Yuyao (43 km), Cixi (44 km), Lianghu (64 km).

Explore more

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APA

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

HTML<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/china/ningbo/">Ningbo 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.