Quick facts
Chelyabinsk overview
Chelyabinsk (orange) and the other large cities of Russia
Chelyabinsk lies in Russia at 55.16°N, 61.43°E, about 232 m above sea level. The local time zone is Asia/Yekaterinburg (UTC+5); GeoNames classifies it as a regional capital.
It is smaller than Kazan (1,243,500) and larger than Omsk (1,172,070). The largest city in Russia is Moscow with 10,381,222 people; the capital, Moscow, has 10,381,222.
The national capital, Moscow, is about 1,495 km away; the nearest large city is Miass, 85 km from Chelyabinsk.
Russia as a whole has a live population of 143,296,039 (-0.2% a year) and ranks #9 of 238 countries — see the Russia population page for the full statistics and the Russia atlas for provinces, terrain and society maps.
Cities near Chelyabinsk
| City | Distance | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Miass Chelyabinsk | 85 km | 167,500 |
| Zlatoust Chelyabinsk | 113 km | 191,366 |
| Kamensk-Ural’skiy Sverdlovsk Oblast | 142 km | 182,500 |
| Yekaterinburg Sverdlovsk Oblast | 195 km | 1,495,066 |
Largest cities in Russia
| # | City | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MoscowCapital | Moscow | 10,381,222 |
| 2 | Saint Petersburg | St. Petersburg | 5,351,935 |
| 3 | Novosibirsk | Novosibirsk Oblast | 1,612,833 |
| 4 | Yekaterinburg | Sverdlovsk Oblast | 1,495,066 |
| 5 | Nizhniy Novgorod | Nizhny Novgorod Oblast | 1,259,013 |
| 6 | Kazan | Tatarstan Republic | 1,243,500 |
| 7 | Chelyabinsk | Chelyabinsk | 1,202,371 |
| 8 | Omsk | Omsk Oblast | 1,172,070 |
| 9 | Samara | Samara Oblast | 1,163,399 |
| 10 | Rostov-on-Don | Rostov | 1,130,305 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Chelyabinsk?
Chelyabinsk has about 1,202,371 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.
Is Chelyabinsk the capital of Russia?
No. The capital of Russia is Moscow (10,381,222 people), about 1,495 km away. Chelyabinsk is the 7th largest city of the country and a regional capital.
How big is Chelyabinsk compared with the rest of Russia?
Its 1,202,371 residents are 0.8% of the 143,296,039 people living in Russia today. Moscow is larger with 10,381,222 people.
Where is Chelyabinsk?
In Russia, at latitude 55.16 and longitude 61.43, 232 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Miass (85 km), Zlatoust (113 km), Kamensk-Ural’skiy (142 km).
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Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Chelyabinsk Population 2026 — Russia. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/russia/chelyabinsk/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/russia/chelyabinsk/">Chelyabinsk Population 2026 — Russia</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.