Quick facts
Kharkiv overview
Kharkiv (orange) and the other large cities of Ukraine
Kharkiv lies in Ukraine at 49.98°N, 36.25°E, about 94 m above sea level. The local time zone is Europe/Kyiv (UTC+3); GeoNames classifies it as a regional capital.
It is smaller than Kyiv (2,952,301) and larger than Odesa (1,010,537). 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 411 km away; the nearest large city is Poltava, 130 km from Kharkiv.
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 Kharkiv
| City | Distance | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Poltava Poltava | 130 km | 279,593 |
| Sumy Sumy | 146 km | 256,474 |
| Slovyansk Donetsk | 159 km | 105,141 |
| Pavlohrad Dnipropetrovsk | 164 km | 101,430 |
| Kramatorsk Donetsk | 168 km | 147,145 |
| Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 190 km | 968,502 |
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 Kharkiv?
Kharkiv has about 1,421,125 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.
Is Kharkiv the capital of Ukraine?
No. The capital of Ukraine is Kyiv (2,952,301 people), about 411 km away. Kharkiv is the 2nd largest city of the country and a regional capital.
How big is Kharkiv compared with the rest of Ukraine?
Its 1,421,125 residents are 3.6% of the 39,447,335 people living in Ukraine today. Kyiv is larger with 2,952,301 people.
Where is Kharkiv?
In Ukraine, at latitude 49.98 and longitude 36.25, 94 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Poltava (130 km), Sumy (146 km), Slovyansk (159 km).
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Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Kharkiv Population 2026 — Ukraine. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/ukraine/kharkiv/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/ukraine/kharkiv/">Kharkiv 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.