Quick facts
Donetsk overview
Donetsk (orange) and the other large cities of Ukraine
Donetsk lies in Ukraine at 48.02°N, 37.8°E, about 223 m above sea level. The local time zone is Europe/Kyiv (UTC+3); GeoNames classifies it as a regional capital.
It is smaller than Dnipro (968,502) and larger than Lviv (717,273). The largest city in Ukraine is Kyiv with 2,952,301 people; the capital, Kyiv, has 2,952,301.
The national capital, Kyiv, is about 593 km away; the nearest large city is Kramatorsk, 81 km from Donetsk.
Ukraine as a whole has a live population of 39,447,335 (-0.7% a year) and ranks #39 of 238 countries — see the Ukraine population page for the full statistics and the Ukraine atlas for provinces, terrain and society maps.
Cities near Donetsk
| City | Distance | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Kramatorsk Donetsk | 81 km | 147,145 |
| Slovyansk Donetsk | 93 km | 105,141 |
| Mariupol Donetsk | 105 km | 230,000 |
| Luhansk Luhansk | 127 km | 397,677 |
| Pavlohrad Dnipropetrovsk | 154 km | 101,430 |
| Berdyansk Zaporizhzhia | 160 km | 106,311 |
Largest cities in Ukraine
| # | City | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KyivCapital | Kyiv City | 2,952,301 |
| 2 | Kharkiv | Kharkiv | 1,421,125 |
| 3 | Odesa | Odesa | 1,010,537 |
| 4 | Dnipro | Dnipropetrovsk | 968,502 |
| 5 | Donetsk | Donetsk | 901,645 |
| 6 | Lviv | Lviv | 717,273 |
| 7 | Zaporizhzhya | Zaporizhzhia | 710,052 |
| 8 | Kryvyy Rih | Dnipropetrovsk | 603,904 |
| 9 | Sevastopol | Sevastopol City | 547,820 |
| 10 | Mykolayiv | Mykolaiv | 470,011 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Donetsk?
Donetsk has about 901,645 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.
Is Donetsk the capital of Ukraine?
No. The capital of Ukraine is Kyiv (2,952,301 people), about 593 km away. Donetsk is the 5th largest city of the country and a regional capital.
How big is Donetsk compared with the rest of Ukraine?
Its 901,645 residents are 2.3% of the 39,447,335 people living in Ukraine today. Kyiv is larger with 2,952,301 people.
Where is Donetsk?
In Ukraine, at latitude 48.02 and longitude 37.8, 223 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Kramatorsk (81 km), Slovyansk (93 km), Mariupol (105 km).
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Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Donetsk Population 2026 — Ukraine. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/ukraine/donetsk/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/ukraine/donetsk/">Donetsk Population 2026 — Ukraine</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.