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 1.438 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 54th 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	1,438.1 M	3,287,300 km²	437.5
2	China	1,410.7 M	9,562,900 km²	147.5
3	United States	334.9 M	9,525,100 km²	35.2
4	Indonesia	281.2 M	1,913,600 km²	146.9
5	Pakistan	247.5 M	796,100 km²	310.9
6	Nigeria	227.9 M	923,800 km²	246.7
7	Brazil	211.1 M	8,515,800 km²	24.8
8	Bangladesh	171.5 M	147,600 km²	1,161.5
9	Russia	143.8 M	17,098,300 km²	8.4
10	Mexico	129.7 M	1,964,400 km²	66.0
11	Ethiopia	128.7 M	1,104,300 km²	116.5
12	Japan	124.5 M	378,000 km²	329.4
13	Philippines	114.9 M	300,000 km²	383.0
14	Egypt	114.5 M	1,001,500 km²	114.4
15	Congo (Dem. Republic)	105.8 M	2,344,900 km²	45.1
16	Vietnam	100.4 M	331,200 km²	303.0
17	Iran	90.6 M	1,648,200 km²	55.0
18	Turkey	85.3 M	785,400 km²	108.6
19	Germany	83.3 M	357,600 km²	232.9
20	Thailand	71.7 M	513,100 km²	139.7
21	United Kingdom	68.4 M	243,600 km²	280.6
22	France	68.3 M	549,100 km²	124.4
23	Tanzania	66.6 M	947,300 km²	70.3
24	South Africa	63.2 M	1,219,100 km²	51.9
25	Italy	59.0 M	301,300 km²	195.8
26	Kenya	55.3 M	580,400 km²	95.4
27	Myanmar	54.1 M	676,600 km²	80.0
28	Colombia	52.3 M	1,141,700 km²	45.8
29	South Korea	51.7 M	100,300 km²	515.4
30	Sudan	50.0 M	1,879,400 km²	26.6

The largest countries by area

Rank	Country	Area	Population	Population per km²
1	Russia	17,098,300 km²	143.8 M	8.4
2	Canada	9,984,700 km²	40.1 M	4.0
3	China	9,562,900 km²	1,410.7 M	147.5
4	United States	9,525,100 km²	334.9 M	35.2
5	Brazil	8,515,800 km²	211.1 M	24.8
6	Australia	7,741,200 km²	26.7 M	3.4
7	India	3,287,300 km²	1,438.1 M	437.5
8	Argentina	2,780,400 km²	45.5 M	16.4
9	Kazakhstan	2,724,900 km²	20.3 M	7.5
10	Algeria	2,381,700 km²	46.2 M	19.4
11	Congo (Dem. Republic)	2,344,900 km²	105.8 M	45.1
12	Greenland *	2,166,100 km²	0.1 M	0.0
13	Saudi Arabia	2,149,700 km²	33.3 M	15.5
14	Mexico	1,964,400 km²	129.7 M	66.0
15	Indonesia	1,913,600 km²	281.2 M	146.9
16	Sudan	1,879,400 km²	50.0 M	26.6
17	Libya	1,759,500 km²	7.3 M	4.2
18	Iran	1,648,200 km²	90.6 M	55.0
19	Mongolia	1,564,100 km²	3.5 M	2.2
20	Peru	1,285,200 km²	33.8 M	26.3
21	Chad	1,284,000 km²	19.3 M	15.0
22	Niger	1,267,000 km²	26.2 M	20.6
23	Angola	1,246,700 km²	36.7 M	29.5
24	Mali	1,240,200 km²	23.8 M	19.2
25	South Africa	1,219,100 km²	63.2 M	51.9
26	Colombia	1,141,700 km²	52.3 M	45.8
27	Ethiopia	1,104,300 km²	128.7 M	116.5
28	Bolivia	1,098,600 km²	12.2 M	11.1
29	Mauritania	1,030,700 km²	5.0 M	4.9
30	Egypt	1,001,500 km²	114.5 M	114.4

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 35 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 1,161 inhabitants per km² (3,008 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?