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

Makkah

Mecca Region · Saudi Arabia
City population
1,578,722
#3
in Saudi Arabia
#2
in Mecca Region
#292
worldwide
RiyadhMakkah
21.427, 39.826 · 793 km from Riyadh
City population
1,578,722
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in Saudi Arabia
#3
of 96 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#292
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of Saudi Arabia
4.3%
of the national population

About Makkah

The third-largest city in Saudi Arabia by population, Makkah holds 1,578,722 residents and accounts for 4.3% of the national total. It sits 793 km from Riyadh. Jeddah, with 4,697,000 people, lies 67 km away; Ash Shafā (72,190) is 64 km distant, and Al Jumūm (22,207) sits 25 km off.

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

Position in Saudi Arabia
#3of 96
LargestSmallest
Position in Mecca Region
#2of 11
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
Saudi Arabia
Region
Mecca Region
Rank in region
#2of 11
Distance to capital
793 km
to Riyadh
Elevation
333 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
Asia/Riyadh
Coordinates
21.427, 39.826
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 96 in Saudi Arabia

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

25KMAl Jumūm22K people64KMTa’if689K people64KMAsh Shafā72K people67KMJeddah4.7M people96KMKhulayş20K 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. Makkah1.58M
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Makkah 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
Makkah1.58M

Makkah Population FAQ

What is the population of Makkah?

Makkah has a city population of 1,578,722. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Makkah?

Makkah is in Mecca Region, Saudi Arabia, 793 km from the capital, Riyadh. Its coordinates are 21.427, 39.826.

How big is Makkah compared with other cities in Saudi Arabia?

It is the 3rd largest of the 96 cities of 15,000 or more listed in Saudi Arabia, holding 4.3% of the national population.

Explore

Saudi ArabiaAll 96 citiesMecca Region11 cities in the regionCountry profileSaudi Arabia population & indicators