We already knew that São Paulo is Brazil’s largest metropolis. But did you know that, according to the United Nations (UN), it is also the most populous city in Latin America?
The study takes into account the entire metropolitan region, which has around 22 million people. To give you an idea, this figure is higher than the inhabitants of the whole of Chile (19 million), Ecuador and Guatemala (approximately 17 million). That’s a lot of people!
São Paulo is the most populous city in Latin America; other Brazilian cities are also in the ranking
According to the IGBE the capital of São Paulo has around 11.5 million inhabitants. However, as we mentioned earlier, the UN ranking takes into account the population of the entire metropolitan region, not just the capitals.
For this reason, São Paulo is ahead of large urban centers such as Lima (Peru) and Mexico City. To reach these conclusions, the UN used data from national statistics bodies, such as the IGBE here in Brazil.
In addition to São Paulo, other Brazilian cities have joined the ranking. This is the case with Rio de Janeiro in 5th place, with more than 6 million inhabitants. Just like Brasilia and Salvador.
Check out the full ranking
- São Paulo (Brazil) – 11,451,999 inhabitants
- Lima (Peru) – 9,674,755 inhabitants
- Mexico City – 9,209,944 inhabitants
- Bogotá (Colombia) – 7,181,469 inhabitants
- Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) – 6,211,423 inhabitants
- Santiago (Chile) – 5,250,565 inhabitants
- Buenos Aires (Argentina) – 3,121,707 inhabitants
- Brasília (Brazil) – 2,923,369 inhabitants
- Guayaquil (Ecuador) – 2,644,891 inhabitants
- Salvador (Brazil) – 2,610,987 inhabitants
