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

São Luís

Maranhao · Brazil
City population
917,237
#16
in Brazil
#1
in Maranhao
#600
worldwide
BrasíliaSão Luís
-2.530, -44.303 · 1,526 km from Brasília
City population
917,237
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in Brazil
#16
of 2,250 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#600
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of Brazil
0.4%
of the national population

About São Luís

Three cities with populations over 150,000 lie within 27 km: Paço do Lumiar (155,307), São José de Ribamar (259,164), and Raposa (30,839). São Luís, with a population of 917,237, is the largest city in Maranhao and ranks 16th among Brazil's 2,250 listed cities. It sits 1,526 km from Brasília and holds 0.4% of the national population.

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
#16of 2,250
LargestSmallest
Position in Maranhao
#1of 122
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
Brazil
Region
Maranhao
Rank in region
#1of 122
Distance to capital
1,526 km
to Brasília
Elevation
29 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
America/Fortaleza
Coordinates
-2.530, -44.303
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.

19KMAlcântara18K people22KMPaço do Lumiar155K people25KMRaposa31K people27KMSão José de Ribamar259K people38KMIcatu25K 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. São Luís917K
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
São Luís 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
São Luís917K

São Luís Population FAQ

What is the population of São Luís?

São Luís has a city population of 917,237. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is São Luís?

São Luís is in Maranhao, Brazil, 1,526 km from the capital, Brasília. Its coordinates are -2.530, -44.303.

How big is São Luís compared with other cities in Brazil?

It is the 16th 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 citiesMaranhao122 cities in the regionCountry profileBrazil population & indicators