San José — UN urban centre population
San José has a recorded base population of 2,171,213 for the UN urban centre definition (2025 annual estimate). UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; the moving counter uses UN 2025–2026 annual growth, not new population observations.
At a glance
Separate UN urban-centre definition
San José UN urban centre: 2,171,213 people (2025), equal to the displayed UN urban centre figure of 2,171,213. Separate GeoNames settlement record: 335,007; the UN value is larger (different boundaries; GeoNames population date unavailable). UN WUP 2025 Degree of Urbanisation; not a municipal/province boundary. Association: name/country/coordinates matched; boundary relationship unverified. No containment claim is made.
Comparable database records
Same definition label: UN urban centre. Dates/boundaries may still differ; this is not a harmonised international city ranking. Ratios use 2,171,213 as denominator.
| Place | Population | vs San José |
|---|---|---|
| Cixi | 2,177,489 | +0.3% |
| Belém | 2,180,454 | +0.4% |
| Las Vegas | 2,183,655 | +0.6% |
| Doha | 2,193,708 | +1.0% |
| Madurai | 2,138,746 | −1.5% |
About these numbers
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025. Reference: 2025 annual estimate. Live method: exponential projection from modelling anchor 2025-01-01 using UN 2025–2026 annual growth (+0.22% per year). This anchor is a modelling convention, not an observed population date. Tiles, ranks and comparisons use the recorded base figure 2,171,213, not the ticking estimate. Country/world denominators are World Bank values and can differ in date and method from local/UN values. Ranks cover only records with the same definition label in this database, not all cities in the world.
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.