The largest countries of the world

The question of the largest country in the world is in itself a bit problematic. Whether you take the most inhabitants or the largest surface area, both comparisons do not include small states such as Hong Kong or Singapore, although they play an immense role, even for the Western world.

With 1.426 billion inhabitants, India is the most populated country in the world.

The USA is in third place in terms of population and fourth in size. Australia is in 56th place in terms of population, but with an area of 7,741,220 km² it is in sixth place worldwide.

The list of the smallest countries is headed by the Vatican.

▼ Listing by Population

▼ Listing by Area

Convert kilometers to miles

30 most populated countries

Rank	Country	Population	Area	Population per km²
1	India	1,425.8 M	3,287,300 km²	433.7
2	China	1,425.7 M	9,562,900 km²	149.1
3	United States	333.3 M	9,525,100 km²	35.0
4	Indonesia	275.5 M	1,913,600 km²	144.0
5	Pakistan	235.8 M	796,100 km²	296.2
6	Nigeria	218.5 M	923,800 km²	236.6
7	Brazil	215.3 M	8,515,800 km²	25.3
8	Bangladesh	171.2 M	147,600 km²	1,159.6
9	Russia	144.2 M	17,098,300 km²	8.4
10	Mexico	127.5 M	1,964,400 km²	64.9
11	Japan	125.1 M	378,000 km²	331.0
12	Ethiopia	123.4 M	1,104,300 km²	111.7
13	Philippines	115.6 M	300,000 km²	385.2
14	Egypt	111.0 M	1,001,500 km²	110.8
15	Congo (Dem. Republic)	99.0 M	2,344,900 km²	42.2
16	Vietnam	98.2 M	331,200 km²	296.4
17	Iran	88.6 M	1,648,200 km²	53.7
18	Turkey	85.0 M	785,400 km²	108.2
19	Germany	83.8 M	357,600 km²	234.3
20	Thailand	71.7 M	513,100 km²	139.7
21	France	68.0 M	549,100 km²	123.8
22	United Kingdom	67.8 M	243,600 km²	278.3
23	Tanzania	65.5 M	947,300 km²	69.1
24	South Africa	59.9 M	1,219,100 km²	49.1
25	Italy	58.9 M	301,300 km²	195.6
26	Myanmar	54.2 M	676,600 km²	80.1
27	Kenya	54.0 M	580,400 km²	93.1
28	Colombia	51.9 M	1,141,700 km²	45.4
29	South Korea	51.7 M	100,300 km²	515.0
30	Spain	47.8 M	505,900 km²	94.4

The largest countries by area

Rank	Country	Area	Population	Population per km²
1	Russia	17,098,300 km²	144.2 M	8.4
2	Canada	9,984,700 km²	38.9 M	3.9
3	China	9,562,900 km²	1,425.7 M	149.1
4	United States	9,525,100 km²	333.3 M	35.0
5	Brazil	8,515,800 km²	215.3 M	25.3
6	Australia	7,741,200 km²	26.0 M	3.4
7	India	3,287,300 km²	1,425.8 M	433.7
8	Argentina	2,780,400 km²	46.2 M	16.6
9	Kazakhstan	2,724,900 km²	19.6 M	7.2
10	Algeria	2,381,700 km²	44.9 M	18.9
11	Congo (Dem. Republic)	2,344,900 km²	99.0 M	42.2
12	Greenland *	2,166,100 km²	0.1 M	0.0
13	Saudi Arabia	2,149,700 km²	36.4 M	16.9
14	Mexico	1,964,400 km²	127.5 M	64.9
15	Indonesia	1,913,600 km²	275.5 M	144.0
16	Sudan	1,879,400 km²	46.9 M	24.9
17	Libya	1,759,500 km²	6.8 M	3.9
18	Iran	1,648,200 km²	88.6 M	53.7
19	Mongolia	1,564,100 km²	3.4 M	2.2
20	Peru	1,285,200 km²	34.0 M	26.5
21	Chad	1,284,000 km²	17.7 M	13.8
22	Niger	1,267,000 km²	26.2 M	20.7
23	Angola	1,246,700 km²	35.6 M	28.5
24	Mali	1,240,200 km²	22.6 M	18.2
25	South Africa	1,219,100 km²	59.9 M	49.1
26	Colombia	1,141,700 km²	51.9 M	45.4
27	Ethiopia	1,104,300 km²	123.4 M	111.7
28	Bolivia	1,098,600 km²	12.2 M	11.1
29	Mauritania	1,030,700 km²	4.7 M	4.6
30	Egypt	1,001,500 km²	111.0 M	110.8

It is noticeable that the first places of both rankings are quite different. Only Russia, USA, China, Brazil and India are in the top 10 of both tables. It is noteworthy that all these countries have large uninhabited desert or mountain regions. The settlement is therefore concentrated primarily in large urban areas with enormous population density.

India and China are by far the most populous countries and the only ones with more than one billion inhabitants. Together they account for about 36 percent of the total population and occupy nine percent of the habitable earth's surface. In April 2023, India replaced China as the country with the highest population to date and is now just ahead. China's population is now expected to continue to shrink slightly, while India's population will continue to grow.

Russia, on the other hand, is by far the largest country on earth in terms of surface area and extends over a length of more than 9,000 km. At 17,098,250 km², it occupies only slightly more space (11%) than China and India combined. The share of the world population, on the other hand, is only two percent. Large parts of Russia consist of deserts and permafrost areas. Only 23 percent of the area lies west of the Urals (the border between Europe and Asia), but 85 percent of the inhabitants live here. Only 27 percent of the population lives outside cities.

Bangladesh is the only country on the list with a population of 171 million on a relatively small area of only 147,630 km². For comparison: Iowa is about the same size, but has just 3.1 million people. Illinois is slightly bigger than Bangladesh, and has a population of about 12.8 million. With 1,160 inhabitants per km² (3,003 per mi²), Bangladesh is the only territorial state in the world to occupy a top position in population density.

* Greenland is not an independent and sovereign country, but territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Further information on the definition of a country can be found in our article What is a country?

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