Largest countries in the world | Statista (2024)

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Mar 21, 2024

The statistic shows the 30 largest countries in the world by area. Russia is the largest country by far, with a total area of about 17 million square kilometers.

Population of Russia

Despite its large area, Russia - nowadays the largest country in the world - has a relatively small total population. However, its population is still rather large in numbers in comparison to those of other countries. In mid-2014, it was ranked ninth on a list of countries with the largest population, a ranking led by China with a population of over 1.37 billion people. In 2015, the estimated total population of Russia amounted to around 146 million people.

The aforementioned low population density in Russia is a result of its vast landmass; in 2014, there were only around 8.78 inhabitants per square kilometer living in the country. Most of the Russian population lives in the nation’s capital and largest city, Moscow: In 2015, over 12 million people lived in the metropolis.

The 30 largest countries in the world by total area (in square kilometers)

CharacteristicArea in square kilometers
Russia17,098,242
Canada9,984,670
USA9,833,517
China9,596,960
Brazil8,515,770
Australia7,741,220
India3,287,263
Argentina2,780,400
Kazakhstan2,724,900
Algeria2,381,741
Democratic Republic of Congo2,344,858
Greenland2,166,086
Saudi Arabia2,149,690
Mexico1,964,375
Indonesia1,904,569
Sudan1,861,484
Libya1,759,540
Iran1,648,195
Mongolia1,564,116
Peru1,285,216
Chad1,284,000
Niger1,267,000
Angola1,246,700
Mali1,240,192
South Africa1,219,090
Colombia1,138,910
Ethiopia1,104,300
Bolivia1,098,581
Mauritania1,030,700
Egypt1,001,450

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Largest countries in the world | Statista (2024)

FAQs

Largest countries in the world | Statista? ›

Top 10 Largest Countries in the World (by total area km²):

Encyclopedia Britannica gives the third slot to China (9,600,013 km²) and places the United States in fourth. However, other sources, such as the United Nations and the CIA World Factbook, display a larger area for the U.S. and rank it above China.

Is China bigger than the US? ›

Top 10 Largest Countries in the World (by total area km²):

Encyclopedia Britannica gives the third slot to China (9,600,013 km²) and places the United States in fourth. However, other sources, such as the United Nations and the CIA World Factbook, display a larger area for the U.S. and rank it above China.

Which country is the 7 largest in the world? ›

India — 1,269,210 Square Miles (3,287,263 Square Kilometers) India is the seventh-largest country, and the second-largest on the Asian continent. It is a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the Indian Ocean.

Is Russia the biggest country in the world? ›

The largest country in the world is Russia with a total area of 17,098,242 Km² (6,601,665 mi²) and a land area of 16,376,870 Km² (6,323,142 mi²), equivalent to 11% of the total world's landmass of 148,940,000 Km² (57,510,000 square miles).

Is Canada bigger than the US? ›

The land area of Canada is 3, 855, 103 square miles compared to America's 3, 794, 083, making Canada 1.6% larger that the States. Even though Canada is a larger country, the United States has a population of 307,212,123 people compared to 33,487,208 people in Canada in 2010.

What is the strongest country in the world? ›

United States

Is America or India bigger? ›

India is smaller than the USA. The United States has a total area of about 9.8 million square kilometers, while India has a total area of about 3.3 million square kilometers. The US is the third largest country in the world by land area, and India is the seventh largest.

Is Australia bigger than the USA? ›

Australia is the planet's sixth largest country after Russia, Canada, China, the USA, and Brazil.

Is Brazil bigger than the US? ›

Brazil is 431,000 square kilometers (166,000 sq mi) larger than the contiguous United States, but smaller than the entire United States, while Russia, Canada, and China are the only countries larger than both.

Who is the most populated country in the world? ›

As per the latest data, India is currently home to the largest population in the world. India overtook China as the country with the largest population in the world in 2022-2023, with more than 1,428,627,663 people. China has the second-largest population in the world with just above 1,425,671,352 inhabitants.

Who has the smallest country in the world? ›

Vatican City holds the title as the world's smallest country, with an area of just 0.17 square mile (0.44 square km). As a point of comparison, the largest country in the world, Russia, is almost 39 million times bigger. Close behind Vatican City is Monaco, measuring 0.8 square mile (2.1 square km).

Which is the largest state in the world? ›

Answer and Explanation:

The largest state in the world is the Sakha Republic in the Russian Federation. The Sakha Republic is in northeastern Russia and is nearly 1.2 million square miles in size. Sakha has a population of a little less than one million people.

What is the first country in the world? ›

Egypt. Egypt is the oldest country in the world if we accept its founding as 3150 B.C.E. That's the estimated beginning of the reign of Narmer, the first king of the first dynasty of Egypt, and the end of the period considered predynastic or ancient Egypt. The Narmer Palette (circa 3200-3000 B.C.E.)

Is Canada larger than Russia? ›

Russia is the largest country in the world, with a total area of 17,098,242km². It's nearly twice as large as Canada, and makes up for roughly 11 per cent of the Earth's total landmass. Russia is so large it starts in the northeast of Europe and stretches all across the north of Asia.

How did Russia get so big? ›

Over the course of five centuries the tsars made Russia the world's largest country. They created a state defined by its physical geography, with a national identity rooted in territorial expansion, culminating in the conquest of Siberia.

Are there 256 countries in the world? ›

There are 195 countries in the world today. This total comprises 193 countries that are member states of the United Nations and 2 countries that are non-member observer states: the Holy See and the State of Palestine.

What is the 10 smallest country? ›

These countries are ranked as the top 10 smallest in the world:
  • Vatican City (0.19 square miles)
  • Monaco (0.78 square miles)
  • Nauru (8.1 square miles)
  • Tuvalu (10 square miles)
  • San Marino (24 square miles)
  • Liechtenstein (62 square miles)
  • Marshall Islands (70 square miles)
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis (101 square miles)
Nov 16, 2022

What are the 20 countries with the largest population? ›

The most populous countries in the world, in descending order, are China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia, and Mexico. These countries have large populations due to factors such as high birth rates, historical population growth, and significant geographical size.

What is the top 100 biggest country? ›

Top 100 largest countries by area
RankCountryArea (mi2)
1Russia6,601,668
2Canada3,855,100
3United States *3,805,943
4China3,705,407
76 more rows

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