Hainan Island covers 33,900 km² (13,089 sq mi) of land and had a population of 10.6 million in 2025, about 311 people per km² (806 per sq mi). In more familiar terms, it is about 1.35 times the size of Maryland.
Calculated from the population and area above; their reference dates may differ.
On a familiar scale
≈ 1.35 × Maryland (reference rung)
The closest rung on the US reference ladder (Census Bureau land area); see the sources below.
Land per resident
3,213 m² of land per resident
The inverse of population density, from the same area and population figures.
The outline is fitted to this frame, not a map for measuring distances. Outlying islands may make the main landmass appear smaller.
Change the yardstick
Hainan Island is “how many times” what?
The multiples on this site default to Taiwan. Pick a place you know and the area, population and density are recalculated against it; your choice is remembered in this browser and carries to other pages.
Area is the land area of Hainan Island itself, published by the provincial government as 33,900 km², covering only the main island. The population is the province's — 10,552,300 permanent residents at year-end 2025 — so the density here divides a provincial population by an island area. The overstatement is small, because the province's other administered islands hold only a few thousand residents, but the pairing is not like-for-like. Hainan Province separately publishes a land area of 35,400 km², which adds those island groups; the roughly 2,000,000 km² figure often quoted for Hainan is maritime jurisdiction, not land, and is never used here. The area carries no stated survey date, so the date shown is when the official page was read.
Average administrative density does not describe population distribution in every neighborhood. Compare population definitions and reference dates alongside the numbers.
Place guide
How should this Hainan Island profile be read?
The area on this page is the island’s and the population is the province’s, so the density divides one unit by another. The mismatch is small, but it is stated here rather than smoothed over.
An island area against a provincial population
The provincial government publishes 33,900 km² for Hainan Island itself, with no stated survey date. The population of 10,552,300 as at 2025-12-31 covers the whole province, so the two sides of the division describe different objects.
The province’s other administered islands hold only a few thousand residents, so the overstatement in the density is small. It is still not a like-for-like pairing, and the province separately publishes a land area of 35,400 km² for anyone who wants a matching denominator.
The two-million figure is not land
A figure of roughly 2,000,000 km² is often quoted in connection with Hainan. It describes maritime jurisdiction rather than land area, and it is the most common corruption of Hainan area figures.
Nothing on this page uses it. When comparing sources, the first check is whether a quoted number refers to land or to sea before it is set beside the 33,900 km² used here.
Questions people ask
About Hainan Island’s area and population
How big is Hainan Island?
Hainan Island covers 33,900 km², or 13,089 sq mi (source accessed 2026-09-08). In US terms: ≈ 1.35 × Maryland.
What is the population of Hainan Island?
10.6 million — 10,552,300 as of 2025-12-31. The scope of that count is set out under “Scope and definitions” on this page.
What is the population density of Hainan Island?
About 311.3 people per km² (806 per sq mi), derived from the area and population above, whose reference dates may differ. An administrative average does not describe how crowded any particular neighbourhood is.
What do these Hainan Island figures include?
Area is the land area of Hainan Island itself, published by the provincial government as 33,900 km², covering only the main island. The population is the province's — 10,552,300 permanent residents at year-end 2025 — so the density here divides a provincial population by an island area. The overstatement is small, because the province's other administered islands hold only a few thousand residents, but the pairing is not like-for-like. Hainan Province separately publishes a land area of 35,400 km², which adds those island groups; the roughly 2,000,000 km² figure often quoted for Hainan is maritime jurisdiction, not land, and is never used here. The area carries no stated survey date, so the date shown is when the official page was read.