Largest Cities by Area in the World 2026

Cities are often compared by population, but land area tells a very different story about how urban regions are planned, governed, and developed. The largest cities by area cover vast territories that include dense city centers, suburbs, industrial zones, forests, and even agricultural land. This makes city size by area an important global metric for urban planning, infrastructure development, and environmental management. From mega-municipalities in Asia to sprawling metropolitan regions in Europe and the Americas, understanding which cities occupy the most land helps explain differences in transport systems, governance models, and urban lifestyles around the world.

City area is usually measured using officially defined municipal or administrative boundaries, not the built-up or metropolitan area. This distinction matters because some cities govern extremely large regions, while others are tightly bounded despite having huge populations. Countries like China, Australia, and Russia often define cities as large administrative units, resulting in enormous land areas. In contrast, many European cities have compact boundaries established centuries ago. As urbanization continues, city area rankings highlight how geography, politics, and planning philosophies shape modern cities just as much as population growth does.

Top 10 Largest Cities by Area in the World 2026

1. Chongqing: 82400 km²
2. Beijing: 16411 km²
3. Tianjin: 11920 km²
4. Shanghai: 6340 km²
5. Istanbul: 5343 km²
6. Karachi: 3780 km²
7. Moscow: 2561 km²
8. Tokyo: 2194 km²
9. São Paulo: 1521 km²
10. Delhi: 1484 km

The top 10 list is dominated by Asian megacities, particularly in China, where cities are defined as vast administrative regions rather than compact urban cores. Chongqing stands far above all others, covering an area larger than many countries, which explains its unique governance and transport challenges. Beijing and Tianjin also reflect China’s large-scale municipal structure. Outside Asia, Istanbul’s position highlights its role as a transcontinental city with extensive suburban spread. Cities like Moscow, Tokyo, São Paulo, and Delhi combine large populations with significant land coverage, showing how major economic hubs often expand outward to accommodate growth.

Full Data Table

Key Points

• Chinese cities dominate the rankings because their administrative boundaries include large rural and semi-urban areas.
• There is a massive gap between the largest city, Chongqing, and the rest of the global list.
• Many cities with huge populations do not rank highly because their municipal boundaries are relatively compact.
• Cities with larger land areas often face higher infrastructure and transportation management costs.
• European cities generally appear lower in the rankings due to historically compact city limits.
• Large-area cities often include diverse landscapes such as rivers, hills, forests, and industrial zones.
• Urban sprawl plays a major role in increasing city land area in rapidly developing regions.

Cities ranked by land area offer a unique lens into how urban regions are structured and governed across the world. While population figures capture human density, area rankings reveal how cities physically expand and manage space. As urbanization accelerates and cities continue to absorb surrounding regions, land area will remain a critical factor in planning transport, housing, and sustainability initiatives. In the future, comparisons of city size by area may become even more important as governments balance growth with environmental protection and efficient urban design on a global scale.

Related Articles

• Largest Cities by Population
• Largest Metropolitan Areas in the World
• Largest Capital Cities
• Fastest Expanding Megacities

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Sources

• Urban Population and City Area Statistics – World Bank
• Demographia World Urban Areas – Demographia
• List of Largest Cities by Area – Wikipedia