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

Natal

Rio Grande do Norte · Brazil
City population
896,708
#18
in Brazil
#1
in Rio Grande do Norte
#623
worldwide
BrasíliaNatal
-5.795, -35.209 · 1,777 km from Brasília
City population
896,708
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in Brazil
#18
of 2,250 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#623
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of Brazil
0.4%
of the national population

About Natal

Located 1,777 km from Brasília, this city holds a population of 896,708 and ranks 18th among Brazil's listed cities. It is the largest city in Rio Grande do Norte, accounting for 0.4% of the national population. Parnamirim (271,713) lies 15 km away, and São Gonçalo do Amarante (115,838) sits 13 km distant, anchoring a cluster of smaller towns within the immediate 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
#18of 2,250
LargestSmallest
Position in Rio Grande do Norte
#1of 33
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
Brazil
Region
Rio Grande do Norte
Rank in region
#1of 33
Distance to capital
1,777 km
to Brasília
Elevation
32 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
America/Fortaleza
Coordinates
-5.795, -35.209
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.

13KMSão Gonçalo do Amarante116K people15KMParnamirim272K people15KMExtremoz62K people17KMMacaíba82K people30KMCeará-Mirim79K 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. Natal897K
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Natal 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
Natal897K

Natal Population FAQ

What is the population of Natal?

Natal has a city population of 896,708. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Natal?

Natal is in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, 1,777 km from the capital, Brasília. Its coordinates are -5.795, -35.209.

How big is Natal compared with other cities in Brazil?

It is the 18th largest of the 2,250 cities of 15,000 or more listed in Brazil, holding 0.4% of the national population.

Explore

BrazilAll 2,250 citiesRio Grande do Norte33 cities in the regionCountry profileBrazil population & indicators