This is a list of the fifty most populous metropolitan areas in South America as of 2015, the most recent year for which official census results, estimates or projections are available for every major metropolitan area in South America. All figures refer to mid-year populations.
More information Metropolitan area, Population ...
Metropolitan area
Population
Year
Country
1
São Paulo
21,090,792[1]
2015
Brazil
2
Buenos Aires
13,693,657[lower-alpha 1] [3] [4]
2015
Argentina
3
Rio de Janeiro
12,280,702[1]
2015
Brazil
4
Lima
9,904,727[lower-alpha 2] [6]
2015
Peru
5
Bogotá
9,286,225[lower-alpha 3] [8]
2015
Colombia
6
Santiago
6,683,852[lower-alpha 4] [10]
2015
Chile
7
Belo Horizonte
5,829,923[1]
2015
Brazil
8
Caracas
5,322,310[lower-alpha 5] [13]
2015
Venezuela
9
Porto Alegre
4,258,926[1]
2015
Brazil
10
Brasília
4,201,737[1]
2015
Brazil
11
Fortaleza
3,985,297[1]
2015
Brazil
12
Salvador
3,953,290[1]
2015
Brazil
13
Recife
3,914,397[1]
2015
Brazil
14
Medellín
3,777,009[lower-alpha 6] [8]
2015
Colombia
15
Curitiba
3,502,804[1]
2015
Brazil
16
Campinas
3,094,181[1]
2015
Brazil
17
Guayaquil
2,952,159[lower-alpha 7] [15]
2015
Ecuador
18
Cali
2,911,278[lower-alpha 8] [8]
2015
Colombia
19
Quito
2,653,330[lower-alpha 9] [15]
2015
Ecuador
20
Maracaibo
2,576,836[lower-alpha 10] [13]
2015
Venezuela
21
Manaus
2,523,819[1]
2015
Brazil
22
Asunción
2,482,760[lower-alpha 11] [19]
2015
Paraguay
23
Paraíba Valley and North Coast
2,453,387[1]
2015
Brazil
24
Goiânia
2,421,833[1]
2015
Brazil
25
Belém
2,402,438[1]
2015
Brazil
26
Montevideo
2,059,988[lower-alpha 12] [21]
2015
Uruguay
27
Barranquilla
2,025,071[lower-alpha 13] [8]
2015
Colombia
28
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
1,986,855[lower-alpha 14] [24]
2015
Bolivia
29
Vitória
1,910,101[1]
2015
Brazil
30
Sorocaba
1,888,073[1]
2015
Brazil
31
La Paz
1,849,504[lower-alpha 15] [24]
2015
Bolivia
32
Baixada Santista
1,797,500[1]
2015
Brazil
33
Valencia
1,544,004[lower-alpha 16] [13]
2015
Venezuela
34
São Luís
1,538,131[1]
2015
Brazil
35
Córdoba
1,519,000[lower-alpha 17] [28]
2015
Argentina
36
Natal
1,504,819[1]
2015
Brazil
37
Rosario
1,429,000[lower-alpha 18] [28]
2015
Argentina
38
Piracicaba
1,412,721[1]
2015
Brazil
39
Norte Catarinense
1,344,089[1]
2015
Brazil
40
Barquisimeto
1,308,163[lower-alpha 19] [13]
2015
Venezuela
41
Maceió
1,304,190[1]
2015
Brazil
42
João Pessoa
1,253,929[1]
2015
Brazil
43
Cochabamba
1,227,044[lower-alpha 20] [24]
2015
Bolivia
44
Teresina
1,194,911[1]
2015
Brazil
45
Maracay
1,189,314[lower-alpha 21] [32]
2015
Venezuela
46
Cartagena
1,161,320[lower-alpha 22] [8]
2015
Colombia
47
Florianópolis
1,131,981[1]
2015
Brazil
48
Bucaramanga
1,122,945[lower-alpha 23] [8]
2015
Colombia
49
Mendoza
1,082,000[lower-alpha 24] [28]
2015
Argentina
50
Londrina
1,076,454[1]
2015
Brazil
Close
São Paulo , the most populated metropolitan area in a country outside Asia.
INDEC defines Greater Buenos Aires as comprising the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires plus twenty-four partidos of Buenos Aires Province , namely Almirante Brown , Avellaneda , Berazategui , Esteban Echeverría , Ezeiza , Florencio Varela , General San Martín , Hurlingham , Ituzaingó , José C. Paz , La Matanza , Lanús , Lomas de Zamora , Malvinas Argentinas , Merlo , Moreno , Morón , Quilmes , San Fernando , San Isidro , San Miguel , Tigre , Tres de Febrero and Vicente López .[2]
DANE defines the metropolitan area of Bogotá as comprising the Capital District and seventeen municipalities in Cundinamarca : Soacha , Facatativá , Zipaquirá , Chía , Mosquera , Madrid , Funza , Cajicá , Sibaté , Tocancipá , La Calera , Sopó , Tabio , Tenjo , Cota , Gachancipá and Bojacá .[7]
Medellín's metropolitan area, officially known as the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley, comprises the municipalities of Barbosa , Bello , Caldas , Copacabana , Envigado , Girardota , Itagüí , La Estrella , Medellín and Sabaneta .[7]
Population projection is that of the future Metropolitan District of Guayaquil, which will comprise the cantons of Guayaquil proper, Durán and Samborondón .[14]
Population projection is that of Quito proper plus Rumiñahui Canton , which "is clearly within the suburban zone of the city of Quito."[16]
"Historia" . Área metropolitana de Barranquilla . Retrieved 2016-04-25 .
"Amtt" . Alcaldía de Iribarren. Retrieved 2016-05-05 .
"Nuestra Área" . Área metropolitana de Bucaramanga. Retrieved 2018-04-21 .