Brazil vs China: Population in largest city
Brazil
22.99 million
in 2025
China
30.48 million
in 2025
Brazil rank
6th
China rank
3rd
Population in largest city over time
- Brazil
- China
How they compare
China currently reports 30.48 million against 22.99 million in Brazil, a difference of 7.49 million.
That makes China's figure about 1.3 times Brazil's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was China ahead.
Brazil ranks 6th and China ranks 3rd of 153 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Brazil averaged higher in 4 and China in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Brazil | China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.59 million | 6.47 million | 877,071 | China |
| 1970s | 9.48 million | 5.75 million | 3.72 million | Brazil |
| 1980s | 13.28 million | 7.02 million | 6.26 million | Brazil |
| 1990s | 15.81 million | 10.91 million | 4.90 million | Brazil |
| 2000s | 18.17 million | 16.84 million | 1.33 million | Brazil |
| 2010s | 20.76 million | 23.22 million | 2.46 million | China |
| 2020s | 22.52 million | 28.82 million | 6.30 million | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population in largest city, Brazil or China?
- China, at 30.48 million against 22.99 million in Brazil as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in largest city between Brazil and China?
- 7.49 million, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and China?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Brazil and China rank globally for population in largest city?
- Brazil ranks 6th and China ranks 3rd of 153 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as Population in largest city. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.