Skip to content
World Measure
The population almanac240 countries · 31,365 cities · UN WPP 2024
City profile · China · Asia

Xining

Qinghai · China
City population
1,677,177
#85
in China
#1
in Qinghai
#269
worldwide
BeijingXining
36.626, 101.757 · 1,327 km from Beijing
City population
1,677,177
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in China
#85
of 2,091 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#269
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of China
0.1%
of the national population

About Xining

The nearest cities lie 20 km and 23 km away, both under 70,000 people, leaving a significant gap before Qiaotou at 35 km (114,712) and Nianbo at 61 km (260,184). The city proper holds 1,677,177 residents, making it China's 85th largest by city population and the sole major centre in Qinghai. Situated 1,327 km from Beijing and at 2,275 m elevation, it accounts for 0.1% 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 China
#85of 2,091
LargestSmallest
Position in Qinghai
#1of 17
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
China
Region
Qinghai
Rank in region
#1of 17
Distance to capital
1,327 km
to Beijing
Elevation
2,275 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
Asia/Shanghai
Coordinates
36.626, 101.757
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 2,091 in China

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

20KMDuoba67K people23KMLushar67K people35KMQiaotou115K people61KMNianbo260K people81KMQuankou18K 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. Xining1.68M
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Xining 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
Xining1.68M

Xining Population FAQ

What is the population of Xining?

Xining has a city population of 1,677,177. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Xining?

Xining is in Qinghai, China, 1,327 km from the capital, Beijing. Its coordinates are 36.626, 101.757.

How big is Xining compared with other cities in China?

It is the 85th largest of the 2,091 cities of 15,000 or more listed in China, holding 0.1% of the national population.

Explore

ChinaAll 2,091 citiesQinghai17 cities in the regionCountry profileChina population & indicators