POPULATION OF CORUSCANT makes no sense! - What is it?

The population of Coruscant is likely not what you think. A common problem in Star Wars is totally underestimating the scale of things. Coruscant's "1 trillion" population is no exception.

[Vhvjdowajsbcdhcueio-omsm]

I think we see unhinhabited regions of Coruscant from Attack of the Clones and the clone wars; the industrial sector. Looks like nobody lives or works there anymore, which is why Dooku goes there to meet with Sidious

[GeneralGrievous-]

A few quick notes:
-The old EU's numbers were 1 trillion official residents, but an estimated 3 trillion total residents.
-There's actually over a thousand uninhabitable levels at the bottom, hundreds of them packed full of toxic waste and such. The lowest inhabitable level was about ~1300 or so.
-The important note - it's never explicitly stated that every level of the city completely covered the planet. There's actually evidence that that wasn't the case - consider the fact that there are a few mountain peaks sticking up through the ground on the highest levels, which implies that there's a whole mountain beneath that isn't city. (This might also imply the one level = one storey interpretation is correct). And every level of the city would need solid foundations, after all, so it's not entirely implausible to say that the lower into Coruscant you go, the inhabited areas become smaller and smaller, with large older sections of city completely filled in to support the weight of the level above. So while the top few hundred layers might circle the entire planet, the lower levels would be less of a planetary city and more a network of enormous urban canyons crisscrossing the planet, winding their way between (and sometimes tunneling through) the foundations of skyscrapers thousands of levels above. This is supported by the claustrophobic appearance usually given to the Coruscant underworld, and the established lore that the lowest levels were completely filled in. This, combined with the fact that Coruscant had abandoned areas (see: the industrial district in AOTC) and that not all of the planet was densely populated (the government district, for example), and it might be a bit more reasonable to consider a figure in the trillions or tens of trillions.

[darthvader]

If Coruscant has 5, 000 levels 500m in height, then the lowest level must be deep within the planet’s mantle

[chizardium]

I had this idea myself, and you explained it well. In my math i got around 4 quadrillion, and i think that fits nicely.

[Vhvjdowajsbcdhcueio-omsm]

I dont think coruscant is actually that dense, there are many shipyards, factories, senate buildings, etc, Im sure most of it is actually just infrastructure. What we see on coruscant is the capital of the republic.

[NeidalRuekk]

The EU novel Traitor says that the number of Coruscant's population is a matter of guesswork. But the most accepted figure is 1 trillion, and during the YV war, camp ships carrying over 100 million beings each popped out of hyperspace in the Republic's systems following the Fall of Coruscant to drain their resources

[JaycodaJr]

Maybe 1 trillion is only the amount of confirmed living sentients that are successfully documented and accounted for. Considering that the lower levels get worse and worse in terms of living conditions— it wouldn’t surprise me if it got infinitely more difficult to accurately document the population the deeper you go.

[thegreenmanofnorwich]

I remember reading Curtis Saxton's calculations about 20 years ago. I thought it seemed like 2-20 quadrillion (short form) would be reasonable.

I always imagined a level to be a storey, rather than a city. Even with repulsorlifts and fantastical engineering, it feels like the planet itself would be (even more) seriously screwed up. Like, could it even maintain its orbit with a not insignificant increase in mass? Could people on the top level breathe? Would the top level even be in atmosphere? Would its mantle be pierced by structural supports?

[keaganmaccalder]

Man it's a good thing this planet wasn't destroyed by the Death Star. Actually does Coruscant even have a core that could be blown up by the Death Star?

[phaiz]

Like you said I think the main factor here is what a level is. If those 5000 levels are 1 story each, that means the surface level is at 70, 000 feet relative to the actual planet surface.Two story levels = 140, 000 feet surface level. Film scenes showing Coruscant have the same types of clouds we see when we look up from the ground, so if the surface level were sitting at 70, 000 feet there would be little to no clouds. Of course none of this matters if if the surface level is actually the surface and the levels are underground. Earth's crust averages 40 miles deep and that could accommodate nearly 5000 three story levels. However I think the real answer here is that the SW universe is a cluster and a lot of what we hear and read doesn't make much sense if you actually try to think about it.

[PickleRick]

From a Logistical standpoint, even 1 Trillion is Very Problematic. For example, to Oversimplify it (but to make people think) Let's say that each inhabitant needs 1lb. of Bread, 2lbs. of meat, and 1 gal. of water to consume each day (24 hour period) That's 1 Trillion lbs. of Bread, 2 Trillion lbs. of meat, and 1 Trillion gal. of water. (Only subsistence level)
Then let's say for simplicities sake that in that same 24 hour period, each inhabitant has 1 (only 1) Bowel Movement which produces 2 lbs. of material, and 20 oz. of liquid waste. That's 2 Trillion lbs. of solid waste material, and 20 TRILLION oz. of liquid waste/156, 250, 000, 000 gallons (of urine) EVERY. 24. HOURS.
Coruscant is a Hellscape Nightmare.

[raptorzeraora]

We can all agree that the population is way higher then earths

[spaceengineeringempire]

I think the low number is the first few levels of the world. But as we know middle and upper class take up much more space than lower class

[valthiriansunstrider]

I don't find the concept of 5, 000 levels of cities silly at all. There is no limiting principle to the size of a city in a fantasy work, where technology and physics can be structured differently. There is a possible world in which Coruscant exists in any case.

[sagittariusa]

More like a hundred trillion to be honest. I've been there before this life. About a hundred trillion, somewhere between a hundred and two-hundred trillion but that is based on data that is given. Unofficial numbers may push that closer to four hundred trillion.

Some of the levels really are barren and there isn't 5000 levels. But more like 5 levels.

40000*5*500, 000, 000 = About a hundred trillion and like I said it.

If there was 5000 levels then the top level would be higher than mount everest and people would have trouble breathing in the air. Also Coruscant is home to the Zhell'Zhor'i (this is because the Ancient Zhor'i word for Coruscant is Zhell, in fact it may only be called Zhell) which like all Zhor'i don't do well in crowded spaces. So I doubt they would live at all on a planet with more than a trillion people to begin with and maybe that is just how many Zhell'Zhor'i that live on that world.

[sheffguy]

Where do you get that corusant os smaller than earth. Corusant is 12, 240km in dia and the earth is only 6, 137km in dia

[lordzizo]

Why nonsens If you built the entire Planet up to about 2000 m erase all Mountains drain almost all oceans flatten everything and over time built Houses that go from 0 to about 10 km high were the new 0+- is some Cityparts are over other older Citieparts built maybe you come close to that number.