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

Gwangju

Gwangju · South Korea
City population
1,401,235
#6
in South Korea
#1
in Gwangju
#357
worldwide
SeoulGwangju
35.155, 126.916 · 268 km from Seoul
City population
1,401,235
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in South Korea
#6
of 144 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#357
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of South Korea
2.7%
of the national population

About Gwangju

At 47 m elevation, this city holds a population of 1,401,235 and ranks sixth among South Korea's 144 listed cities. It accounts for 2.7% of the national population and sits 268 km from Seoul. Masan, with 434,371 residents, lies 8 km away; three other cities with populations between 42,000 and 60,000 are within 23 km.

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

Position in South Korea
#6of 144
LargestSmallest
Position in Gwangju
#1of 2
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
South Korea
Region
Gwangju
Rank in region
#1of 2
Distance to capital
268 km
to Seoul
Elevation
47 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
Asia/Seoul
Coordinates
35.155, 126.916
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 144 in South Korea

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

8KMMasan434K people12KMHwasun60K people19KMDamyang45K people20KMJangseong42K people23KMNaju42K 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. Gwangju1.4M
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Gwangju 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
Gwangju1.4M

Gwangju Population FAQ

What is the population of Gwangju?

Gwangju has a city population of 1,401,235. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Gwangju?

Gwangju is in Gwangju, South Korea, 268 km from the capital, Seoul. Its coordinates are 35.155, 126.916.

How big is Gwangju compared with other cities in South Korea?

It is the 6th largest of the 144 cities of 15,000 or more listed in South Korea, holding 2.7% of the national population.

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