San Francisco — UN urban centre population
San Francisco has a recorded base population of 3,163,486 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 Francisco UN urban centre: 3,163,486 people (2025), equal to the displayed UN urban centre figure of 3,163,486. Separate GeoNames settlement record: 827,526; 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.
Administrative units of San Francisco
5 administrative records listed; completeness not established. 5 of 5 population values available; population values and dates not independently verified.
Available-value subtotal: 210,109; not a reconciled total. Shares use the displayed UN urban centre denominator 3,163,486; mixed/unknown dates are not comparable. An em dash means missing, not zero.
| Unit | Population | Share | Membership |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinatown | 100,574 | 3.18% | Not independently verified |
| Mission District | 47,234 | 1.49% | Not independently verified |
| Noe Valley | 22,893 | 0.72% | Not independently verified |
| Visitacion Valley | 22,534 | 0.71% | Not independently verified |
| Parkside | 16,874 | 0.53% | Not independently verified |
Comparable database records
Same definition label: UN urban centre. Dates/boundaries may still differ; this is not a harmonised international city ranking. Ratios use 3,163,486 as denominator.
| Place | Population | vs San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Maputo | 3,166,328 | +0.1% |
| Guayaquil | 3,157,825 | −0.2% |
| Salvador | 3,135,157 | −0.9% |
| Ouagadougou | 3,206,222 | +1.4% |
| Gujranwala | 3,121,271 | −1.3% |
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 (+0.36% per year). This anchor is a modelling convention, not an observed population date. Tiles, ranks and comparisons use the recorded base figure 3,163,486, 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.