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

Port Harcourt

Rivers State · Nigeria
City population
2,120,000
#5
in Nigeria
#1
in Rivers State
#191
worldwide
AbujaPort Harcourt
4.777, 7.013 · 479 km from Abuja
City population
2,120,000
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in Nigeria
#5
of 268 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#191
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of Nigeria
0.9%
of the national population

About Port Harcourt

The largest city in Rivers State, this settlement holds 2,120,000 people, accounting for 0.9% of Nigeria's population and ranking fifth among the country's 268 listed cities. Located 479 km from Abuja, it sits at 16 m elevation. Okrika lies 9 km away with a population of 133,271, while Buguma and Obonoma are situated 17 km and 26 km distant, respectively, with populations of 135,404 and 68,584.

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

Position in Nigeria
#5of 268
LargestSmallest
Position in Rivers State
#1of 7
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
Nigeria
Region
Rivers State
Rank in region
#1of 7
Distance to capital
479 km
to Abuja
Elevation
16 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
Africa/Lagos
Coordinates
4.777, 7.013
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 268 in Nigeria

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

9KMOkrika133K people17KMBuguma135K people26KMObonoma69K people29KMDegema Hulk19K people40KMBonny17K 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. Port Harcourt2.12M
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Port Harcourt 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
Port Harcourt2.12M

Port Harcourt Population FAQ

What is the population of Port Harcourt?

Port Harcourt has a city population of 2,120,000. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Port Harcourt?

Port Harcourt is in Rivers State, Nigeria, 479 km from the capital, Abuja. Its coordinates are 4.777, 7.013.

How big is Port Harcourt compared with other cities in Nigeria?

It is the 5th largest of the 268 cities of 15,000 or more listed in Nigeria, holding 0.9% of the national population.

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