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World Measure
The population almanac240 countries · 31,365 cities · UN WPP 2024
City profile · DR Congo · Africa

Bukavu

South Kivu · DR Congo
City population
816,811
#6
in DR Congo
#1
in South Kivu
#682
worldwide
KinshasaBukavu
-2.491, 28.843 · 1,515 km from Kinshasa
City population
816,811
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in DR Congo
#6
of 114 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#682
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of DR Congo
0.7%
of the national population

About Bukavu

Ringed closely by smaller cities, with Kabare 6 km away and Cyangugu 7 km distant, Bukavu holds 816,811 residents and ranks sixth among 114 listed cities in DR Congo. The city sits 1,515 km from Kinshasa and accounts for 0.7% of the national population.

This summary is AI-generated from the figures on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.

Position in DR Congo
#6of 114
LargestSmallest
Position in South Kivu
#1of 3
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
DR Congo
Region
South Kivu
Rank in region
#1of 3
Distance to capital
1,515 km
to Kinshasa
Elevation
1,631 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
Africa/Lubumbashi
Coordinates
-2.491, 28.843
Record updated
2026-04-13
Entry edited, not measured

City population, GeoNames. GeoNames publishes no year for its population figures, so “record updated” is when the entry was last edited — not the date the population was measured. Elevation is modelled from a digital elevation model rather than surveyed, so it is approximate.

Nearby Cities

All 114 in DR Congo

Closest listed cities by great-circle distance from the city centre.

16KMBushenge23K people · Rwanda21KMShangi28K people · Rwanda21KMKarengera33K people · Rwanda26KMNyabitekeli29K people · Rwanda29KMBushekeri30K people · Rwanda

Compared with the World's Largest Cities

City-proper population against the fifteen largest cities in the dataset.

  1. Shanghai24.9M
  2. Beijing19M
  3. Shenzhen17.5M
  4. Guangzhou16.1M
  5. Kinshasa16M
  6. Istanbul15.7M
  7. Lagos15.4M
  8. Ho Chi Minh City14M
  9. Chengdu13.6M
  10. Lahore13M
  11. Mumbai12.7M
  12. São Paulo12.4M
  13. Mexico City12.3M
  14. Karachi11.6M
  15. Tianjin11.1M
  16. Bukavu817K
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Bukavu compared with the fifteen largest cities
NameCity population
Shanghai24.9M
Beijing19M
Shenzhen17.5M
Guangzhou16.1M
Kinshasa16M
Istanbul15.7M
Lagos15.4M
Ho Chi Minh City14M
Chengdu13.6M
Lahore13M
Mumbai12.7M
São Paulo12.4M
Mexico City12.3M
Karachi11.6M
Tianjin11.1M
Bukavu817K

Bukavu Population FAQ

What is the population of Bukavu?

Bukavu has a city population of 816,811. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Bukavu?

Bukavu is in South Kivu, DR Congo, 1,515 km from the capital, Kinshasa. Its coordinates are -2.491, 28.843.

How big is Bukavu compared with other cities in DR Congo?

It is the 6th largest of the 114 cities of 15,000 or more listed in DR Congo, holding 0.7% of the national population.

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