Population Density Calculator
Population density from people and area — per square kilometer, per hectare, per square mile — with the classification band it falls into and what a growth target does to it.
Density is people divided by land area.
How the population density calculator works
Density is people divided by land area. The unit matters: 5,000 per km² is 50 per hectare and about 13,000 per square mile, and planning documents use all three.
The bands are conventions rather than law, but they are consistent enough to be useful: under 1,000 per km² reads as suburban, 5,000 to 10,000 is the inner ring of most cities, and above 15,000 is dense urban.
Formula: density = population / area
Worked examples
| Inputs | Density (per km²) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 48,000 on 12.5 km² | 3,840 | 3,840 per km² — suburban |
| An inner suburb | 12,000 | 12,000 per km² |
| A rural shire | 53.3 | 53 per km² |
FAQFrequently asked questions
What is a typical urban density?
Inner suburbs of most cities run 5,000 to 15,000 per km². Outer suburbs are 1,000 to 3,000. Manhattan is about 27,000; central Paris over 20,000.
Why do people per hectare and per km² differ by 100?
Because a square kilometer is exactly 100 hectares. Planners use per hectare for sites and per km² for suburbs.
Does density include parks and roads?
Gross density does; net density counts residential land only and can be two to three times higher. This page computes whichever area you enter.
Is higher density better?
It supports transit, walkability and services, and reduces infrastructure cost per person. It also needs design to work. The number alone does not say.
What density supports a bus route?
Roughly 3,000 per km² for a basic service and 10,000 or more for frequent rail — figures from transit planning literature rather than rules.
Where these figures come from
- UN-Habitat — Urban Indicators Guidelines — density, green space and public space benchmarks
- World Health Organization — Urban green spaces — the 9 m² per person minimum
- ITE — Parking Generation Manual — parking demand rates by land use
- US Census Bureau — Population and housing — the US national statistics agency
Last checked: September 2026. Default per-capita rates are mid-range figures from national statistical agencies and utility reports; every one is an input you should replace with the local figure.