Place comparison
Seoul compared with New York City: area, population and density
Seoul is about 78% of New York City’s land but has about 1.09 times its population, so Seoul is about 1.4 times as dense.
Equal-area outline comparison
Outlines are centered and scaled by official land area; position does not show geographic location.
Area
Population
Population density
Area data date
Population data date
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The guide below belongs to this pair: Seoul and New York City. Change the selector above and the page follows, so the reading always matches the tool.
Direct answer
How different are Seoul and New York City?
Seoul covers 605.2 km² (233.7 sq mi); Seoul's area is about 77.8% of New York City's. Its reported population is 9,335,444; Seoul's population is 1.09 times New York City's. By average density, Seoul's population density is 1.4 times New York City's.
Population difference
Seoul's population is 1.09 times New York City's 9,335,444 · 8,584,629Density difference
Seoul's population density is 1.4 times New York City's 15,425.4 /km² (39,952 /sq mi) · 11,030.7 /km² (28,569 /sq mi)Full data and sources for each place: Seoul area & population, New York City area & population
Straight-line distance between geometric centres: about 11060 km; time difference: 14 hours (13 hours during daylight saving time).
On a familiar scale
- Seoul ≈ 3.82 × Washington, D.C. (reference rung) 65 m² of land per resident
- New York City ≈ 29% of Rhode Island (reference rung) 91 m² of land per resident
Reference scales come from U.S. Census Bureau: 2025 Gazetteer Files: land area of states and counties , as of 2025-01-01.
How to read it
Seoul fits more people than New York City into about three-quarters of the land.
Geography and shape
Seoul Special City spreads across both banks of the Han River and is ringed by mountains, with 25 districts under one city government. New York City is five boroughs on islands and mainland at the mouth of the Hudson River.
Population context
Seoul has 9,335,444 people on 605 km², about 15,425 per km². New York City has an estimated 8,584,629 on 778 km² of land, about 11,031 per km². Seoul has about 9% more people on about 78% of New York’s land.
Boundaries and definitions
Seoul uses its register-based census for 1 November 2024 and registered cadastral land. New York City uses the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate for 1 July 2025 and the city’s land area, which leaves out 445 km² of rivers, harbour and bay inside the city limits. Neither is the metropolitan region: the Seoul Capital Area and the New York metro area are each many times larger.
Seoul: Seoul Special City, the 25-district city government of 605.2 km². It is not the Seoul Capital Area, the commuter region of Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, which is roughly twenty times larger and holds about 26.3 million people. Population is the 2024 register-based census total: everyone usually resident inside the city boundary on 1 November 2024, including 367,291 foreign residents, which is a different universe from the resident-registration series readers may know. Area is registered cadastral land at 31 December 2024, summed from the ministry's parcel-level file because no single line publishes the city total; the same method reproduces South Korea's national figure exactly. The two reference dates are two months apart.
New York City: New York City’s five boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island — with 778.25 km² of land and 8,584,629 residents. Area is the Census Bureau’s land area (ALAND) for the city in the 2025 Gazetteer place file; it excludes 445 km² of rivers, harbour and bay inside the city limits, so the land-plus-water total is 1,224 km². Population is the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate for 1 July 2025, not a census count. This is the city, not New York State and not the New York metropolitan area. The outline is the Census Bureau’s own city boundary with its mapped water removed, so it matches the official land area to within 0.2%.
In-depth guide
How should Seoul and New York City be understood in context?
Seoul and New York City each hold more than eight million people inside their city limits, and they are closer in size than most people guess. Seoul has about three-quarters of New York’s land but slightly more people.
Three-quarters of the land, a few more people
Seoul’s 605 km² is about 78% of New York City’s 778 km² of land. Its 9.34 million people are about 9% more than New York’s 8.58 million, so Seoul averages about 15,425 people per km² against New York’s 11,031.
Both cities are the core of much larger regions. The Seoul Capital Area, with Incheon and Gyeonggi, holds about 26.3 million people; the comparison here is city government against city government.
Questions people ask
About this geographic comparison
Which is bigger, Seoul or New York City?
New York City is bigger, with a land area about 1.29× that of Seoul (Seoul 605.2 vs New York City 778.3 km², or 233.7 sq mi vs 300.5 sq mi).
How big is Seoul compared to New York City?
New York City has 778.3 km² (300.5 sq mi) and Seoul has 605.2 km² (233.7 sq mi): the ratio is 1.29×. Conversely, Seoul has 77.8% of New York City's area.
Does Seoul or New York City have more people?
Seoul has 9,335,444 people (2024-11-01), versus 8,584,629 in New York City (2025-07-01): 1.09×. In reverse, New York City has 92% of Seoul's population. Seoul is 77.8% the size of New York City — 605.2 km² vs 778.3 km² (233.7 sq mi vs 300.5 sq mi). Population is 1.09× higher; average density is 1.4× higher. Each side’s scope and reference date are set out under “Boundaries and definitions” on this page.
Is Seoul bigger than New York City?
No. New York City is bigger, with a land area about 1.29× that of Seoul (Seoul 605.2 vs New York City 778.3 km², or 233.7 sq mi vs 300.5 sq mi). The area difference is 173 km². New York City has 778.3 km² (300.5 sq mi) and Seoul has 605.2 km² (233.7 sq mi): the ratio is 1.29×. Conversely, Seoul has 77.8% of New York City's area. By land, no: Seoul’s 605 km² is about 78% of New York City’s 778 km². By population, slightly yes: 9.34 million against 8.58 million.
Is Seoul denser than New York City?
Yes, about 1.4 times on average: about 15,425 people per km² against about 11,031.
Sources
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Republic of Korea: Cadastral statistics, reference date 31 December 2024
- Statistics Korea: 2024 Population and Housing Census (register-based)
- U.S. Census Bureau: 2025 Gazetteer Files: places (land area, ALAND)
- U.S. Census Bureau: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025)
Outline data: