By area
The largest countries in the world
Russia is the largest country in the world, at about 16,886,269 km² (6,519,820 sq mi), about 1.7 times the size of the next, Canada. United States, China, Brazil complete the top five.
| # | Country | Area | Population | Visitors a year | Continent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Russia | 16,886,269 km² (6,519,820 sq mi) | 144 million | 24.4 million (2019) | Europe |
| 2 |  Canada | 9,894,454 km² (3,820,267 sq mi) | 37.6 million | 32.4 million (2019) | North America |
| 3 |  United States | 9,447,729 km² (3,647,786 sq mi) | 328 million | 165 million (2019) | North America |
| 4 |  China | 9,373,405 km² (3,619,089 sq mi) | 1.4 billion | 163 million (2019) | Asia |
| 5 |  Brazil | 8,504,975 km² (3,283,787 sq mi) | 211 million | 6.4 million (2019) | South America |
| 6 |  Australia | 7,705,919 km² (2,975,270 sq mi) | 25.4 million | 9.5 million (2019) | Oceania |
| 7 |  India | 3,160,393 km² (1,220,234 sq mi) | 1.37 billion | 17.9 million (2019) | Asia |
| 8 |  Argentina | 2,783,124 km² (1,074,570 sq mi) | 44.9 million | 7.4 million (2019) | South America |
| 9 |  Kazakhstan | 2,725,815 km² (1,052,442 sq mi) | 18.5 million | 8.5 million (2019) | Asia |
| 10 |  Democratic Republic of the Congo | 2,335,417 km² (901,709 sq mi) | 86.8 million | 351,000 (2016) | Africa |
| 11 |  Algeria | 2,312,306 km² (892,785 sq mi) | 43.1 million | 2.4 million (2019) | Africa |
| 12 |  Mexico | 1,962,224 km² (757,619 sq mi) | 128 million | 97.4 million (2019) | North America |
| 13 |  Saudi Arabia | 1,925,996 km² (743,631 sq mi) | 34.3 million | 20.3 million (2019) | Asia |
| 14 |  Indonesia | 1,888,123 km² (729,008 sq mi) | 271 million | 16.1 million (2019) | Asia |
| 15 |  Sudan | 1,861,998 km² (718,921 sq mi) | 42.8 million | 836,000 (2018) | Africa |
| 16 |  Libya | 1,626,533 km² (628,007 sq mi) | 6.8 million | no figure | Africa |
| 17 |  Iran | 1,623,485 km² (626,831 sq mi) | 82.9 million | 9.1 million (2019) | Asia |
| 18 |  Mongolia | 1,560,554 km² (602,533 sq mi) | 3.2 million | 637,000 (2019) | Asia |
| 19 |  Peru | 1,295,125 km² (500,050 sq mi) | 32.5 million | 5.3 million (2019) | South America |
| 20 |  South Africa | 1,281,731 km² (494,879 sq mi) | 58.6 million | 14.8 million (2019) | Africa |
| 21 |  Chad | 1,270,723 km² (490,629 sq mi) | 15.9 million | 81,000 (2019) | Africa |
| 22 |  Mali | 1,256,814 km² (485,258 sq mi) | 19.7 million | 217,000 (2019) | Africa |
| 23 |  Angola | 1,249,440 km² (482,411 sq mi) | 31.8 million | 218,000 (2019) | Africa |
| 24 |  Niger | 1,185,157 km² (457,591 sq mi) | 23.3 million | 192,000 (2019) | Africa |
| 25 |  Colombia | 1,140,096 km² (440,193 sq mi) | 50.3 million | 4.5 million (2019) | South America |
| 26 |  Ethiopia | 1,132,065 km² (437,092 sq mi) | 112 million | 812,000 (2019) | Africa |
| 27 |  Bolivia | 1,090,455 km² (421,027 sq mi) | 11.5 million | 1.2 million (2019) | South America |
| 28 |  Mauritania | 1,039,355 km² (401,297 sq mi) | 4.5 million | no figure | Africa |
| 29 |  Egypt | 1,002,879 km² (387,213 sq mi) | 100 million | 13 million (2019) | Africa |
| 30 |  Tanzania | 945,559 km² (365,082 sq mi) | 58 million | 1.5 million (2019) | Africa |
| 31 |  Venezuela | 916,567 km² (353,888 sq mi) | 28.5 million | 429,000 (2017) | South America |
| 32 |  Nigeria | 911,217 km² (351,823 sq mi) | 201 million | 5.3 million (2016) | Africa |
| 33 |  Pakistan | 873,938 km² (337,429 sq mi) | 217 million | 966,000 (2012) | Asia |
| 34 |  Namibia | 824,825 km² (318,466 sq mi) | 2.5 million | 1.7 million (2019) | Africa |
| 35 |  Mozambique | 791,423 km² (305,570 sq mi) | 30.4 million | 2 million (2019) | Africa |
| 36 |  Turkey | 779,430 km² (300,939 sq mi) | 83.4 million | 51.7 million (2019) | Asia |
| 37 |  Zambia | 754,731 km² (291,403 sq mi) | 17.9 million | 1.3 million (2019) | Africa |
| 38 |  Chile | 736,359 km² (284,309 sq mi) | 19 million | 5.4 million (2019) | South America |
| 39 |  Myanmar | 664,949 km² (256,738 sq mi) | 54 million | 4.4 million (2019) | Asia |
| 40 |  Afghanistan | 642,393 km² (248,029 sq mi) | 38 million | no figure | Asia |
Land area from Natural Earth’s map, which can differ slightly from official figures (which may include inland water).
Big countries are where a count by country undersells a traveler: a week in the United States and a lifetime of road trips both count as one. That is why Globestamp also fills in regions and states, so you can see how much of a big country you’ve really seen. Try the visited countries map or read how much of the world you’ve seen.
Questions people ask
What is the largest country in the world?
Russia, at about 16,886,269 km² (6,519,820 sq mi).
What is the largest country in Africa?
Democratic Republic of the Congo, at about 2,335,417 km² (901,709 sq mi).
What is the largest country in Europe?
Russia, if you count all of it; it spans Europe and Asia. Of the countries wholly in Europe, Ukraine, at about 570,175 km² (220,146 sq mi).