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World Measure
The population almanac240 countries · 31,365 cities · UN WPP 2024
City profile · Philippines · Asia

Cebu City

Central Visayas · Philippines
City population
965,332
#9
in Philippines
#1
in Central Visayas
#577
worldwide
ManilaCebu City
10.317, 123.891 · 572 km from Manila
City population
965,332
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in Philippines
#9
of 519 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#577
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of Philippines
0.8%
of the national population

About Cebu City

The largest city in Central Visayas with a population of 965,332, this urban centre holds 0.8% of the Philippines' national population. Located 572 km from Manila, it sits at low elevation on terrain just 37 m above sea level. Mandaue City (331,320 people) lies 4 km away, and Lapu-Lapu City (497,813) is 6 km distant, forming a closely spaced cluster of major urban settlements in the region.

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

Position in Philippines
#9of 519
LargestSmallest
Position in Central Visayas
#1of 35
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
Philippines
Region
Central Visayas
Rank in region
#1of 35
Distance to capital
572 km
to Manila
Elevation
37 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
Asia/Manila
Coordinates
10.317, 123.891
Record updated
2026-04-14
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 519 in Philippines

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

4KMMandaue City331K people6KMLapu-Lapu City498K people9KMTalisay133K people13KMMinglanilla62K people15KMLiloan49K people

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. Cebu City965K
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Cebu City 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
Cebu City965K

Cebu City Population FAQ

What is the population of Cebu City?

Cebu City has a city population of 965,332. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Cebu City?

Cebu City is in Central Visayas, Philippines, 572 km from the capital, Manila. Its coordinates are 10.317, 123.891.

How big is Cebu City compared with other cities in Philippines?

It is the 9th largest of the 519 cities of 15,000 or more listed in Philippines, holding 0.8% of the national population.

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