What is the population of Saint Petersburg?
Saint Petersburg has a city population of 5,351,935. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.
City profile · Russia · Europe
Saint Petersburg
City population
5,351,935
#2
in Russia
#1
in St.-Petersburg
#54
worldwide
59.939, 30.314 · 635 km from Moscow
About Saint Petersburg
With a city-proper population of 5,351,935 and a metropolitan area of 5,598,000, this European city ranks among the world's largest urban centers. Founded in 1703, it sits at an elevation of just 11 meters on Russia's northwest coast. The densely packed urban core averages 3,990 people per km², reflecting intensive development across its territory.
Population growth remains modest at 0.2% annually, indicating relative stability in resident numbers. Alexander Beglov serves as the city's mayor. Pulkovo Airport (LED) provides regional air connectivity for residents and visitors.
This summary is AI-generated from the figures on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.
Metro population
5,598,000
0.067% of world population
Archive estimateAnnual growth
+0.15%
Archive estimateDensity
3,990/km²
1,403 km² metro area
Key Facts
Country
Region
Rank in region
#1of 11
Founded
1703
Leadership
Alexander Beglov
Coordinates
59.939, 30.314
Record updated
14 April 2026
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 980 in RussiaClosest listed cities by great-circle distance from the city centre.
Compared with the World's Largest Cities
City-proper population against the fifteen largest cities in the dataset.
| Name | City population |
|---|---|
| Shanghai | 24.9M |
| Beijing | 19M |
| Shenzhen | 17.5M |
| Guangzhou | 16.1M |
| Kinshasa | 16M |
| Istanbul | 15.7M |
| Lagos | 15.4M |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 14M |
| Chengdu | 13.6M |
| Lahore | 13M |
| Mumbai | 12.7M |
| São Paulo | 12.4M |
| Mexico City | 12.3M |
| Karachi | 11.6M |
| Tianjin | 11.1M |
| Saint Petersburg | 5.35M |
Airports
Scheduled-service airports within 100 km, nearest first.
- Pulkovo AirportLED
16 km from the city centre
Source: OurAirports, matched by distance.
Population Trend in Russia
No free source publishes city population back to 1950, so the parent country's series is shown instead.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 103,392,360 |
| 1960 | 119,934,141 |
| 1970 | 130,367,189 |
| 1980 | 138,572,623 |
| 1990 | 148,979,541 |
| 2000 | 146,717,783 |
| 2010 | 143,934,465 |
| 2020 | 146,371,299 |
| 2030 | 141,889,410 |
| 2040 | 138,281,831 |
| 2050 | 136,132,775 |
| 2060 | 132,893,469 |
| 2070 | 129,710,829 |
| 2080 | 127,837,919 |
| 2090 | 127,144,110 |
| 2100 | 126,386,515 |
Saint Petersburg Population FAQ
Where is Saint Petersburg?
Saint Petersburg is in St.-Petersburg, Russia, 635 km from the capital, Moscow. Its coordinates are 59.939, 30.314.
How big is Saint Petersburg compared with other cities in Russia?
It is the 2nd largest of the 980 cities listed in Russia, holding 3.7% of the national population.