Kaohsiung Population 2026 — Taiwan

Quick facts

GeoNames · UN WPP

Population

2,737,660

city proper · GeoNames

Rank in Taiwan

#4 of 29

largest cities tracked

World rank

#144

of 5,243 cities ≥ 100k

Region

Takao

first-level division

Status

Regional capital

Elevation

9 m

above sea level

Time zone

UTC+8

Asia/Taipei

Coordinates

22.62°N 120.31°E

Share of country

11.9%

of 22.98M people

Kaohsiung overview

Updated October 2026

Kaohsiung (orange) and the other large cities of Taiwan

Kaohsiung lies in Takao in Taiwan at 22.62°N, 120.31°E, about 9 m above sea level. The local time zone is Asia/Taipei (UTC+8); GeoNames classifies it as a regional capital.

It is smaller than Taichung (2,850,285) and larger than Tainan (1,856,642). The largest city in Taiwan is Taipei with 7,871,900 people and is also the capital.

The national capital, Taipei, is about 298 km away; the nearest large city is Fengshan, 5 km from Kaohsiung.

Taiwan as a whole has a live population of 22,981,095 (-0.4% a year) and ranks #61 of 238 countries — see the Taiwan population page for the full statistics and the Taiwan atlas for provinces, terrain and society maps.

Cities near Kaohsiung

Within 200 km · straight-line distance

City	Distance	Population
Fengshan Takao	5 km	356,463
Tainan Taiwan	43 km	1,856,642
Yongkang Taiwan	46 km	233,730
Taitung Taiwan	87 km	103,260
Chiayi City Taiwan	97 km	263,188
Douliu Taiwan	124 km	107,924
Nantou Taiwan	149 km	105,682
Yuanlin Taiwan	151 km	124,725

Largest cities in Taiwan

Top 10 · all 29 →

#	City	Region	Population
1	TaipeiCapital	Taiwan	7,871,900
2	New Taipei City	Taipei	4,004,367
3	Taichung	Taiwan	2,850,285
4	Kaohsiung	Takao	2,737,660
5	Tainan	Taiwan	1,856,642
6	Banqiao	Taipei	551,221
7	Taoyuan	Taiwan	475,798
8	Hsinchu	Taiwan	453,536
9	Keelung	Taiwan	362,487
10	Fengshan	Takao	356,463

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Kaohsiung?

Kaohsiung has about 2,737,660 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.

Is Kaohsiung the capital of Taiwan?

No. The capital of Taiwan is Taipei (7,871,900 people), about 298 km away. Kaohsiung is the 4th largest city of the country and a regional capital.

How big is Kaohsiung compared with the rest of Taiwan?

Its 2,737,660 residents are 11.9% of the 22,981,095 people living in Taiwan today. Taipei is larger with 7,871,900 people.

Where is Kaohsiung?

In Takao, Taiwan, at latitude 22.62 and longitude 120.31, 9 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Fengshan (5 km), Tainan (43 km), Yongkang (46 km).

Explore more

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APA

Glostats. (2026). Kaohsiung Population 2026 — Taiwan. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/taiwan/kaohsiung/

HTML<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/taiwan/kaohsiung/">Kaohsiung Population 2026 — Taiwan</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 2026-10-21. More about our data.