Place comparison
Singapore compared with New York City: area, population and density
Singapore is about 96% of New York City’s land, but New York has about 1.4 times Singapore’s population, so New York City is about 1.3 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: Singapore and New York City. Change the selector above and the page follows, so the reading always matches the tool.
Direct answer
How different are Singapore and New York City?
Singapore covers 744.3 km² (287.4 sq mi); Singapore's area is about 95.6% of New York City's. Its reported population is 6,111,175; Singapore's population is about 71.2% of New York City's. By average density, Singapore's population density is about 74.4% of New York City's.
Population difference
Singapore's population is about 71.2% of New York City's 6,111,175 · 8,584,629Density difference
Singapore's population density is about 74.4% of New York City's 8,210.6 /km² (21,265 /sq mi) · 11,030.7 /km² (28,569 /sq mi)Full data and sources for each place: Singapore area & population, New York City area & population
Straight-line distance between geometric centres: about 15339 km; time difference: 13 hours (12 hours during daylight saving time).
On a familiar scale
- Singapore ≈ 28% of Rhode Island (reference rung) 122 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
Almost the same land: a whole country and a single city come within 5% of each other.
Geography and shape
Singapore is a city-state on one main island plus some sixty smaller islands at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, and its land keeps growing through reclamation. New York City is five boroughs at the mouth of the Hudson River, on islands and on the mainland.
Population context
Singapore has 6,111,175 people on 744 km², about 8,211 per km². New York City has an estimated 8,584,629 on 778 km² of land, about 11,031 per km². New York has about 40% more people on about 5% more land.
Boundaries and definitions
Singapore uses its total land area at 31 December 2025 and total population, including non-residents, at end-June 2025. 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.
Singapore: Total land area surveyed by the Singapore Land Authority as at 31 December 2025, covering the main island and its offshore islands. The figure rises with reclamation and is restated annually — it was 735.7 km² a year earlier. Population is the Department of Statistics total population at end-June 2025: citizens 3,660,683, permanent residents 543,832 and about 1.91 million non-residents, counted by place of usual residence, so tourists and short-term visitors are excluded. The two dates are six months apart, and the outline traces the main island, Pulau Ujong, which is about 88% of the official area — Pulau Tekong, Jurong Island, Pulau Ubin, Sentosa and some sixty smaller islands are counted in the figure but not drawn.
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 Singapore and New York City be understood in context?
“Singapore is about the size of New York City” is one of the comparisons that actually holds: the two are within about 5% of each other on land. The difference is people — New York has about 2.5 million more.
Same land, 40% more people
Singapore’s 744 km² is about 96% of New York City’s 778 km² of land. New York’s 8.58 million people are about 1.4 times Singapore’s 6.11 million, so the city averages about 11,031 people per km² and the city-state about 8,211.
Singapore has to fit a whole country into that space — its airport, port, military land, reservoirs and nature reserves — while New York City draws its water from reservoirs far upstate and shares its port and a major airport with New Jersey.
Questions people ask
About this geographic comparison
Which is bigger, Singapore or New York City?
New York City is bigger, with a land area about 1.05× that of Singapore (Singapore 744.3 vs New York City 778.3 km², or 287.4 sq mi vs 300.5 sq mi).
How big is Singapore compared to New York City?
New York City has 778.3 km² (300.5 sq mi) and Singapore has 744.3 km² (287.4 sq mi): the ratio is 1.05×. Conversely, Singapore has 95.6% of New York City's area.
Does Singapore or New York City have more people?
New York City has 8,584,629 people (2025-07-01), versus 6,111,175 in Singapore (2025-06-30): 1.4×. In reverse, Singapore has 71.2% of New York City's population. Singapore is 95.6% the size of New York City — 744.3 km² vs 778.3 km² (287.4 sq mi vs 300.5 sq mi). Population is 71.2% as high; average density is 74.4% as high. Each side’s scope and reference date are set out under “Boundaries and definitions” on this page.
Is Singapore bigger than New York City?
No. New York City is bigger, with a land area about 1.05× that of Singapore (Singapore 744.3 vs New York City 778.3 km², or 287.4 sq mi vs 300.5 sq mi). The area difference is 34 km². New York City has 778.3 km² (300.5 sq mi) and Singapore has 744.3 km² (287.4 sq mi): the ratio is 1.05×. Conversely, Singapore has 95.6% of New York City's area. Slightly smaller: 744 km² against New York City’s 778 km² of land, about 96%. Reclamation adds several km² to Singapore each year, so the gap is narrowing.
Is Singapore denser than New York City?
No. New York City averages about 11,031 people per km² of land and Singapore about 8,211.
Sources
- Singapore Land Authority: Total Land Area of Singapore
- Singapore Department of Statistics: Indicators on Population, Annual (Table M810001)
- 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: