Quick facts
Chita overview
Chita (orange) and the other large cities of Russia
Chita lies in Zabaykalskiy (Transbaikal) Kray in Russia at 52.04°N, 113.49°E, about 690 m above sea level. The local time zone is Asia/Chita (UTC+9); GeoNames classifies it as a regional capital.
It is smaller than Arkhangel’sk (349,742) and larger than Belgorod (345,289). 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 4,736 km away.
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.
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 Chita?
Chita has about 349,005 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.
Is Chita the capital of Russia?
No. The capital of Russia is Moscow (10,381,222 people), about 4,736 km away. Chita is the 51st largest city of the country and a regional capital.
How big is Chita compared with the rest of Russia?
Its 349,005 residents are 0.2% of the 143,296,039 people living in Russia today. Moscow is larger with 10,381,222 people.
Where is Chita?
In Zabaykalskiy (Transbaikal) Kray, Russia, at latitude 52.04 and longitude 113.49, 690 m above sea level.
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Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Chita Population 2026 — Russia. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/russia/chita/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/russia/chita/">Chita 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.