Highest Capital Cities by Elevation

About This Dataset

This chart ranks the world's highest capital cities by elevation above sea level, in metres. La Paz, Bolivia, sits highest of all, where thin mountain air challenges visitors and athletes alike.

✨ AI Insight

La Paz, Bolivia, is the world's highest capital at 3,640 metres, high enough that arriving visitors often feel the effects of altitude and where even boiling water cooks food differently. Ecuador's Quito (2,850 m) and Bolivia's constitutional capital Sucre (2,790 m) follow, giving the Andes a firm grip on the top three. A striking pattern emerges: the highest capitals cluster in two regions, the Andes of South America and the highlands of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where Addis Ababa (2,355 m), Asmara (2,325 m) and Sanaa (2,250 m) sit close together. Mexico City (2,240 m) and Kabul (1,790 m) round out the list. All ten lie above 1,700 metres, a reminder that many major seats of government were founded on high, defensible and temperate plateaus rather than at sea level.

Source: List of capital cities by altitude

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

🏆

La Paz (Bolivia) leads with 3,640 in All Time.

📊

Average value in All Time: 2,520 · median: 2,345.

↔️

Gap in All Time: La Paz (Bolivia) is 2× larger than Kabul (Afghanistan).