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World Measure
The population almanac240 countries · 31,365 cities · UN WPP 2024
City profile · Brazil · South America

Fortaleza

Ceara · Brazil
City population
2,400,000
#5
in Brazil
#1
in Ceara
#159
worldwide
BrasíliaFortaleza
-3.717, -38.543 · 1,689 km from Brasília
City population
2,400,000
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in Brazil
#5
of 2,250 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#159
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of Brazil
1.1%
of the national population

About Fortaleza

Fortaleza's nearest neighbours cluster tightly: Caucaia lies 12 km away with a population of 378,406, while Maracanaú (251,613) sits 20 km distant. The city itself holds 2,400,000 residents, making it Brazil's fifth-largest by city proper population and accounting for 1.1% of the national total. Located 1,689 km from Brasília, Fortaleza dominates Ceara, where it ranks first among 130 listed cities 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 Brazil
#5of 2,250
LargestSmallest
Position in Ceara
#1of 130
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
Brazil
Region
Ceara
Rank in region
#1of 130
Distance to capital
1,689 km
to Brasília
Elevation
18 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
America/Fortaleza
Coordinates
-3.717, -38.543
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 2,250 in Brazil

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

12KMCaucaia378K people20KMMaracanaú252K people22KMEusébio74K people25KMMaranguape109K people27KMAquiraz65K 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. Fortaleza2.4M
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Fortaleza 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
Fortaleza2.4M

Fortaleza Population FAQ

What is the population of Fortaleza?

Fortaleza has a city population of 2,400,000. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Fortaleza?

Fortaleza is in Ceara, Brazil, 1,689 km from the capital, Brasília. Its coordinates are -3.717, -38.543.

How big is Fortaleza compared with other cities in Brazil?

It is the 5th largest of the 2,250 cities of 15,000 or more listed in Brazil, holding 1.1% of the national population.

Explore

BrazilAll 2,250 citiesCeara130 cities in the regionCountry profileBrazil population & indicators