What is the capital of Paraguay?
Asunción sits on the eastern bank of the Paraguay river, near its confluence with the Pilcomayo.
Asunción is the capital and seat of government of Paraguay, a role it has held since 1811. Paraguay itself has an estimated population of 7,013,078 (2025).
Asunción is also the largest city in Paraguay, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Asunción at a glance
| City population | 462,241 (2022) |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan area | 2,400,000 (2022 estimate, Gran Asunción) |
| Country | 🇵🇾 Paraguay |
| Founded | 1537 |
| Capital since | 1811 |
| Largest city in Paraguay | Asunción |
| Time zone | UTC−03:00 (PYT) |
| Currency | Paraguayan guaraní (PYG) |
About Asunción
Asunción was founded on 15 August 1537, one of the oldest cities in South America; it is nicknamed the 'Mother of Cities' because Spanish expeditions set out from here to found dozens of others.
Asunción has been the capital of Paraguay since 1811, Asunción has been Paraguay's capital since independence in 1811, and was a base for the Spanish colonisation of the region.
The Gran Asunción metropolitan area holds around 40% of Paraguay's population.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Asunción.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Paraguay?
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Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Paraguay on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.