No — London is bigger by land: Greater London covers 1,572 km² against Seoul’s official 605.2 km², about 2.6 times as much.
Contents
- Is Seoul or London bigger? London wins on area, Seoul on people
- Is Seoul bigger than London by population?
- Which city is denser, Seoul or London?
- Is the Seoul subway bigger than the London Underground?
- Seoul vs London for travelers: size, cost and getting there
- Seoul vs London beyond size: economy, visitors, history
Is Seoul or London bigger? London wins on area, Seoul on people
Greater London covers 1,572 km² against Seoul’s official 605.2 km², so London is about 2.6 times larger in land area.
That is a difference of roughly 966.8 km² — 1,572 minus 605.2.
The comparison depends entirely on which ‘London’ is meant.
Greater London is 32 boroughs plus the City of London, and the City of London alone is only 2.9 km² — the famous ‘Square Mile’ — which throws off casual comparisons by a factor of hundreds. ‘Seoul’ here means the 25 autonomous districts that make up the city proper, the figure the Seoul Metropolitan Government publishes.
When a ‘which city is bigger’ question comes up, checking the definition first is the fastest move — Greater London (1,572 km²) and the City of London (2.9 km²) change the answer completely.
Compared with earlier posts in this series, London is the largest city tested so far: Seoul (605 km²) sits below New York (~784 km²) and Singapore (~735 km²), and all three sit well below Greater London.
If you want the quick number to quote, use 1,572 km² vs 605.2 km² — both come from the city governments themselves.
| Land area | 605.2 km² (25 districts) | 1,572 km² (32 boroughs + City of London) | London ~2.6x larger |
|---|---|
| City-proper population | ~9.3–9.4 million (2025 registered residents) | ~8.9–9.0 million (ONS estimate) | Seoul slightly larger |
| Metro-area population | Seoul Capital Area ~26 million (about half of South Korea) | estimates vary by definition (roughly 13–15 million) | Seoul far larger |
| Population density | ~15,500 people per km² | ~5,650 people per km² | Seoul ~2.8x denser |
| Subway | ~7–8 million daily riders (network ~330+ km, figure varies by counting method) | London Underground ~402 km, ~3–4 million daily journeys | Seoul moves about twice as many people |
| Airports | Incheon (ICN) + Gimpo (GMP) | 6 airports, Heathrow the busiest | London has more airports |
| International visitors (2024) | about 16.4 million (Seoul Metropolitan Government); 13–14 million (Korea Tourism Organization) | about 20 million | London higher |
Is Seoul bigger than London by population?
Yes — Seoul is slightly bigger city-proper, at roughly 9.3–9.4 million registered residents in 2025 against Greater London’s 8.9–9.0 million (ONS estimate).
The gap widens when the surrounding region counts.
The Seoul Capital Area — Seoul plus Gyeonggi Province and Incheon — holds about 26 million people, roughly half of South Korea.
London’s wider metro population has no single official number, and estimates vary by definition in a 13–15 million range, so treat any one figure with care.
So the headline flips depending on the measure: London wins on land, Seoul wins on people.
If someone quotes one metro-population number for London as fact, that is the line to question — the definition, not the count, moves it.
Which city is denser, Seoul or London?
Seoul is roughly 2.8 times denser: about 15,500 people per km² against Greater London’s about 5,650.
The terrain tells the same story.
The highest point inside Seoul’s city limits is Bukhansan at 836.5 m, a national park within the boundary; Greater London’s highest point, Westerham Heights, reaches only about 245 m.
Seoul squeezes nearly twice London’s population onto less than half the land, and the mountains and the Han River compress the buildable area further.
For a visitor this shows up as crowding and closeness — dense districts, short hops between them.
If empty space matters to you, Greater London’s green belt reads very differently from Seoul’s packed districts.
Is the Seoul subway bigger than the London Underground?
No on length, yes on riders: the London Underground runs about 402 km against Seoul’s roughly 330+ km, but Seoul’s subway carries about 7–8 million riders a day against the Underground’s roughly 3–4 million daily journeys.
Two caveats change how you quote these numbers.
Seoul’s network length depends on the counting method — Seoul Metro’s own lines and the full metropolitan network including Korail lines give different totals.
The Underground figure also excludes the DLR, Elizabeth line and Overground, which serve the same city.
If you are comparing ‘which network is bigger’, length says London; if you are comparing ‘which one moves more people’, Seoul does, by about twice.
Pick the measure that matches the question before quoting either.
Seoul vs London for travelers: size, cost and getting there
In Seoul, most top attractions — Gyeongbokgung, Myeongdong, Hongdae, Gangnam — sit within a 30–40 minute subway ride of one another; in Greater London, comparable trips commonly take 45–60 minutes, because Greater London spans about 50 km east to west.
Korean travel guides recommend 3 nights 4 days to cover London’s core districts.
On cost, consumer prices in Seoul run roughly 15–25% below London overall by user-reported aggregator data, with rent the widest gap — treat it as a direction, not a figure.
Getting there: Seoul and London are about 8,900 km apart, Seoul keeps Korea Standard Time (UTC+9) against London’s GMT/BST, an 8–9 hour gap.
A direct Incheon–Heathrow flight takes about 11.5–12.5 hours eastbound and roughly 13 hours back.
London is served by 6 airports — Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City, Southend — while Seoul has Incheon (ICN, about 60 km west) and Gimpo (GMP, 15 km from the center).
If you are budgeting a first visit, the 30–40 minute subway rule for Seoul and a 3-night baseline for London is the size difference made practical.
Seoul vs London beyond size: economy, visitors, history
The two economies sit in a similar band by most estimates: Seoul’s metropolitan economy is put at roughly USD 700–800 billion and Greater London’s at roughly USD 600–700 billion, the largest in Europe — figures that move with the exchange-rate year and the metro-area definition, so use ranges.
Visitor counts for 2024 run higher for London at about 20 million international visitors, against two Seoul figures that should be kept separate rather than averaged: about 16.4 million foreign visitors per Seoul Metropolitan Government statistics, and 13–14 million per the Korea Tourism Organization.
History stretches further back in Seoul — founded in 18 BC as Wiryeseong and the Joseon capital since 1394 — while London began as Roman Londinium around 47–50 AD.
On the river, the Han runs about 41.5 km of its 494 km through Seoul with 12 riverside parks over roughly 40 km, and the Thames runs about 42–46 km of its 346 km through Greater London with 8 Royal Parks plus some 3,000 smaller green spaces.
Higher education concentrates heavily in both: Seoul hosts roughly 40 universities including Seoul National, Yonsei and Korea University, and Greater London has 40+ institutions with over 400,000 students.
If your visit is climate-sensitive, Seoul runs colder winters (January average −2°C) and hotter summers (August 26°C) than London’s mild 5–6°C January and 19°C July — pack for the season, not the latitude.
If I were budgeting a first visit, I would pick Seoul, because the 30–40 minute subway hops mean less of the trip is spent in transit — the first thing I check before choosing between two cities.
👉 Seoul Capital Area population figures on Wikipedia
👉 London metropolitan area population estimates on Wikipedia
👉 Cost of living comparison between Seoul and London on Numbeo
Related posts
📎 Seoul — everything we know
📎 📅 다가오는 일정 — 발매·개봉·발표 캘린더
Sources
The short version
- London is about 2.6 times larger than Seoul in land area (1,572 ÷ 605 km²).
- Seoul’s city-proper population (~9.4M) edges out Greater London’s (~8.9–9.0M), and the Seoul Capital Area’s ~26 million far exceeds the London metro area’s 13–15 million, depending on how the metro area is defined.
- Seoul is roughly 2.8 times denser than Greater London.
- Seoul’s subway carries about 7–8 million riders a day against the Underground’s roughly 3–4 million daily journeys.
- Consumer prices in Seoul run roughly 15–25% lower than London overall, with an even larger rent gap.
- If you are budgeting a first visit, I would use the 30–40 minute subway hops in Seoul as the yardstick and allow 3 nights for London’s core.
FAQ
Q. Is Seoul or London bigger?
London is bigger by land area — 1,572 km² against Seoul’s 605.2 km², about 2.6 times — while Seoul is slightly bigger by city-proper population.
Q. Is Seoul bigger than London by population?
Yes, slightly: Seoul has roughly 9.3–9.4 million registered residents (2025) against Greater London’s 8.9–9.0 million, and the Seoul Capital Area’s ~26 million far exceeds any London metro estimate.
Q. Is Seoul bigger than New York?
No by city area: New York’s ~784 km² exceeds Seoul’s 605.2 km², but both sit well below Greater London’s 1,572 km².
Q. Is London more expensive than Seoul?
User-reported cost-of-living data points to consumer prices in Seoul running roughly 15–25% below London, with rent the widest gap — check current aggregator figures for your own basket before budgeting.
Q. Which city is denser, Seoul or London?
Seoul, by roughly 2.8 times — about 15,500 people per km² against Greater London’s about 5,650.
More size comparisons in this series: Seoul vs New York and Seoul vs Singapore.
Cover photo: Free London city skyline Thames — CC0 1.0
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