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World Measure
The population almanac240 countries · 31,365 cities · UN WPP 2024
Capital city · South Africa · Africa

Pretoria

Gauteng · South Africa
City population
2,112,693
#4
in South Africa
#2
in Gauteng
#192
worldwide
Pretoria
-25.745, 28.188
City population
2,112,693
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in South Africa
#4
of 295 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#192
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of South Africa
3.3%
of the national population

About Pretoria

At 1,332 m above sea level, this national capital holds a population of 2,112,693 and accounts for 3.3% of South Africa's total. It is the second-largest city in Gauteng and ranks fourth among the country's listed cities. Centurion, with 236,580 residents, lies 13 km away; Thembisa (511,655) is 28 km distant.

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 Africa
#4of 295
LargestSmallest
Position in Gauteng
#2of 33
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
South Africa
Region
Gauteng
Rank in region
#2of 33
Capital
National capital
Elevation
1,332 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
Africa/Johannesburg
Coordinates
-25.745, 28.188
Record updated
2024-12-02
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 295 in South Africa

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

13KMCenturion237K people19KMMidstream25K people24KMGa-Rankuwa91K people27KMMidrand87K people28KMThembisa512K 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. Pretoria2.11M
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Pretoria 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
Pretoria2.11M

Pretoria Population FAQ

What is the population of Pretoria?

Pretoria has a city population of 2,112,693. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Pretoria?

Pretoria is in Gauteng, South Africa. Its coordinates are -25.745, 28.188.

How big is Pretoria compared with other cities in South Africa?

It is the 4th largest of the 295 cities of 15,000 or more listed in South Africa, holding 3.3% of the national population.

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