List of countries whose capital is not their largest city
This is an incomplete list of countries whose capital is not their largest city. Many of the population figures include the metropolitan area, while others do not.
Source: List of capitals and largest cities by country.
| Country | Capital | Capital population | Largest city | Largest city population | Ratio | Note |
| Australia | Canberra | 322,000 | Sydney | 4,198,543 | 13.0 | |
| Belize | Belmopan | 7,000 | Belize City | 49,040 | 7 | unofficial population of Belize City is even larger; was capital till 1970 |
| Bolivia | La Paz | 1 million | Santa Cruz | 1.5 million | 1.5 | Sucre is the constitutional capital, La Paz the seat of government |
| Bolivia | Sucre | 247,300 | Santa Cruz | 1.5 million | 6 | |
| Brazil | Brasília | 2.2 million | São Paulo | 10 million | 4.545 | |
| Cameroon | Yaoundé | 1,430,000 | Douala | 2 million + | 1.399 | |
| Canada | Ottawa | 1,146,790 | Toronto | 5,203,686 | 4.538 | |
| China | Beijing | 14,560,000 | Shanghai | 17,110,000 | 1.2 | |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Yamoussoukro | 100,000 | Abidjan | 4 million + | 40 | Abidjan is still the de facto capital |
| Ecuador | Quito | 1,399,378 | Guayaquil | 1,985,379 | 1.419 | |
| India | New Delhi | 17,037,900 | Mumbai | 17,449,532 | 1.02 | for the capital, the metropolitan area is given |
| Kazakhstan | Astana | 520,000 | Almaty | 1,300,000 + | 2.5 | Almaty was capital of Kazakhstan until 1998 |
| Liechtenstein | Vaduz | 5,000 | Schaan | 5,513 | 1.10 | |
| Malawi | Lilongwe | 440,500 | Blantyre | 646,235 | 1.47 | |
| Malta | Valletta | 7,199 | Birkirkara | 25,000 | 3.5 | |
| Micronesia | Palikir | 9,900 | Weno | 13,900 | 1.404 | |
| Morocco | Rabat | 1.2 million | Casablanca | 2.95 million | 2.46 | |
| Myanmar | Naypyidaw | unk. | Yangon | 4,082,000 | 41 | Yangon was the capital until 2006 |
| Netherlands | The Hague | 472,087 | Amsterdam | 743,905 | 1.5 | Amsterdam is the constitutional capital, The Hague the seat of government |
| New Zealand | Wellington | 367,600 | Auckland | 1,223,200 | 3.3 | Auckland was the capital between 1840 and 1865 |
| Nigeria | Abuja | 1,078,700 | Lagos | 10 to 15 million | 10-15 | Lagos was capital of Nigeria until 1991 |
| Pakistan | Islamabad | 610,000 | Karachi | 9 million | 15 | |
| Philippines | Manila | 1,581,082 | Quezon City | 2,173,831 | 1.375 | Quezon City, a former capital, is located in Metro Manila |
| San Marino | San Marino | 4,352 | Serravalle | 8,700 | 2 | |
| Scotland | Edinburgh | 448,152 | Glasgow | 1,749,154 | 3.9 | |
| South Africa | Pretoria | 2,893,251 | Johannesburg | 3,225,812 | 1.11 | Cape Town (pop. 2.9 mil) and Bloemfontein (pop. 645,000) serve as legislative and judicial capitals, respectively |
| Sudan | Khartoum | 950,000 | Omdurman | 1.3 million | 1.368 | |
| Switzerland | Bern | 127,000 | Zürich | 366,145 | 2.9 | |
| Tanzania | Dodoma | 324,000 | Dar es Salaam | 2.5 million | 7.7 | Dar es Salaam is still the de facto capital |
| Turkey | Ankara | 5,153,000 | Istanbul | 8,803,468 | 1.7 | Istanbul was capital of the Ottoman Empire until 1922 |
| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi | 1,000,000 | Dubai | 1,141,959 | 1.14 | |
| United States | Washington, D.C. | 553,523 | New York City | 8,168,338 | 14.7 | New York was the United States' first capital city under the Constitution. |
| Vietnam | Hanoi | 4,100,000 | Ho Chi Minh City | 5,387,100 | 1.3 | Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, was the capital of South Vietnam prior to its conquest. |
See also
Categories
Capitals | Lists of countries