Least densely populated countries — 2026
The emptiest countries on Earth by people per square kilometre — deserts, tundra, rainforest and island nations with vast land and few residents.
Greenland leads with 0.14 people per km2, followed by Mongolia (2.23) and Australia (3.47). The median across the 216 countries with data is 96.76. Data years: 2021–2023.
Top 15
All 216 countries
| Rank | Country | People per km2 | Population | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 |  Greenland | 0.14 | 56,831 | 2023 |
| #2 |  Mongolia | 2.23 | 3,568,978 | 2023 |
| #3 |  Australia | 3.47 | 27,614,411 | 2023 |
| #4 |  Namibia | 3.60 | 3,092,816 | 2023 |
| #5 |  Iceland | 3.82 | 392,404 | 2023 |
| #6 |  Guyana | 3.91 | 835,986 | 2023 |
| #7 |  Suriname | 3.92 | 639,850 | 2023 |
| #8 |  Libya | 4.15 | 7,458,555 | 2023 |
| #9 |  Botswana | 4.38 | 2,562,122 | 2023 |
| #10 |  Canada | 4.56 | 41,651,653 | 2023 |
| #11 |  Mauritania | 4.87 | 5,315,065 | 2023 |
| #12 |  Kazakhstan | 7.53 | 20,843,754 | 2023 |
| #13 |  Central African Republic | 8.27 | 5,513,282 | 2023 |
| #14 |  Russia | 8.78 | 143,513,328 | 2023 |
| #15 |  Gabon | 9.64 | 2,593,130 | 2023 |
| #16 |  Bolivia | 11.30 | 12,581,843 | 2023 |
| #17 |  Norway | 15.15 | 5,610,870 | 2023 |
| #18 |  Chad | 15.34 | 21,003,705 | 2023 |
| #19 |  Turkmenistan | 15.67 | 7,618,847 | 2023 |
| #20 |  Saudi Arabia | 15.68 | 36,973,555 | 2023 |
| #21 |  New Caledonia | 15.86 | 295,333 | 2023 |
| #22 |  Oman | 16.31 | 5,494,691 | 2023 |
| #23 |  Argentina | 16.64 | 45,851,378 | 2023 |
| #24 |  Paraguay | 17.28 | 7,013,078 | 2023 |
| #25 |  Belize | 18.02 | 422,924 | 2023 |
| #26 |  Republic of the Congo | 18.11 | 6,484,437 | 2023 |
| #27 |  South Sudan | 18.17 | 12,188,788 | 2023 |
| #28 |  Finland | 18.37 | 5,646,436 | 2023 |
| #29 |  Uruguay | 19.36 | 3,384,688 | 2023 |
| #30 |  Algeria | 19.38 | 47,435,312 | 2023 |
| #31 |  Mali | 19.48 | 25,198,821 | 2023 |
| #32 |  New Zealand | 19.75 | 5,324,700 | 2023 |
| #33 |  Bhutan | 20.62 | 796,682 | 2023 |
| #34 |  Niger | 20.65 | 27,917,831 | 2023 |
| #35 |  Papua New Guinea | 22.94 | 10,762,817 | 2023 |
| #36 |  Brazil | 25.26 | 212,812,405 | 2023 |
| #37 |  Sweden | 25.87 | 10,596,620 | 2023 |
| #38 |  Vanuatu | 26.28 | 335,169 | 2023 |
| #39 |  Peru | 26.44 | 34,576,665 | 2023 |
| #40 |  Chile | 26.46 | 19,859,921 | 2023 |
| #41 |  Sudan | 26.79 | 51,662,147 | 2023 |
| #42 |  Zambia | 27.88 | 21,913,874 | 2023 |
| #43 |  Solomon Islands | 28.58 | 838,645 | 2023 |
| #44 |  Eritrea | 28.64 | 3,607,003 | 2023 |
| #45 |  Somalia | 29.26 | 19,654,739 | 2023 |
| #46 |  Angola | 29.48 | 39,040,039 | 2023 |
| #47 |  Latvia | 30.27 | 1,847,785 | 2023 |
| #48 |  Estonia | 32.07 | 1,366,475 | 2023 |
| #49 |  Venezuela | 32.09 | 28,516,896 | 2023 |
| #50 |  Laos | 33.21 | 7,873,046 | 2023 |
| #51 |  United States | 36.81 | 341,784,857 | 2023 |
| #52 |  Kyrgyzstan | 37.02 | 7,343,064 | 2023 |
| #53 |  Palau | 38.54 | 17,663 | 2023 |
| #54 |  Faroe Islands | 39.71 | 54,900 | 2023 |
| #55 |  Bahamas | 39.90 | 403,033 | 2023 |
| #56 |  Zimbabwe | 42.24 | 16,950,795 | 2023 |
| #57 |  Mozambique | 42.77 | 35,631,653 | 2023 |
| #58 |  Belarus | 45.22 | 9,085,991 | 2023 |
| #59 |  Lithuania | 45.87 | 2,888,774 | 2023 |
| #60 |  Montenegro | 46.36 | 623,129 | 2023 |
| #61 |  DR Congo | 46.66 | 112,832,473 | 2023 |
| #62 |  Colombia | 47.16 | 53,425,635 | 2023 |
| #63 |  Turks and Caicos Islands | 48.63 | 46,855 | 2023 |
| #64 |  Djibouti | 49.74 | 1,184,076 | 2023 |
| #65 |  Fiji | 50.58 | 933,154 | 2023 |
| #66 |  South Africa | 52.11 | 64,747,319 | 2023 |
| #67 |  Madagascar | 53.62 | 32,740,678 | 2023 |
| #68 |  Iran | 55.85 | 92,417,681 | 2023 |
| #69 |  Nicaragua | 56.70 | 7,007,502 | 2023 |
| #70 |  Liberia | 57.03 | 5,731,206 | 2023 |
| #71 |  Guinea | 58.63 | 15,099,727 | 2023 |
| #72 |  Bulgaria | 59.38 | 6,433,302 | 2023 |
| #73 |  Cameroon | 60.02 | 29,879,337 | 2023 |
| #74 |  Panama | 60.11 | 4,571,189 | 2023 |
| #75 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 62.21 | 3,140,095 | 2023 |
| #76 |  Afghanistan | 63.56 | 43,844,111 | 2023 |
| #77 |  Georgia | 65.00 | 3,935,766 | 2023 |
| #78 |  Ukraine | 65.12 | 38,980,376 | 2023 |
| #79 |  Equatorial Guinea | 65.87 | 1,938,431 | 2023 |
| #80 |  Mexico | 66.74 | 131,946,900 | 2023 |
| #81 |  Croatia | 68.97 | 3,876,200 | 2023 |
| #82 |  Eswatini | 71.54 | 1,256,174 | 2023 |
| #83 |  Ecuador | 72.40 | 18,289,896 | 2023 |
| #84 |  North Macedonia | 72.47 | 1,820,909 | 2023 |
| #85 |  Yemen | 74.61 | 41,773,878 | 2023 |
| #86 |  Tajikistan | 74.86 | 10,786,734 | 2023 |
| #87 |  Tanzania | 75.21 | 70,545,865 | 2023 |
| #88 |  Lesotho | 76.14 | 2,363,325 | 2023 |
| #89 |  Guinea-Bissau | 76.58 | 2,249,515 | 2023 |
| #90 |  Ireland | 77.10 | 5,484,367 | 2023 |
| #91 |  Samoa | 77.94 | 219,306 | 2023 |
| #92 |  Tunisia | 78.53 | 12,348,573 | 2023 |
| #93 |  Serbia | 78.76 | 6,549,143 | 2023 |
| #94 |  Greece | 80.74 | 10,413,962 | 2023 |
| #95 |  Uzbekistan | 80.91 | 37,053,428 | 2023 |
| #96 |  French Polynesia | 80.99 | 282,465 | 2023 |
| #97 |  Romania | 82.85 | 19,020,271 | 2023 |
| #98 |  Myanmar | 82.94 | 54,850,648 | 2023 |
| #99 |  Burkina Faso | 84.16 | 24,074,580 | 2023 |
| #100 |  Morocco | 84.50 | 38,430,770 | 2023 |
| #101 |  Moldova | 85.44 | 2,360,527 | 2023 |
| #102 |  Brunei | 87.09 | 466,330 | 2023 |
| #103 |  Albania | 88.02 | 2,349,580 | 2023 |
| #104 |  Dominica | 88.68 | 65,871 | 2023 |
| #105 |  Timor-Leste | 93.09 | 1,418,517 | 2023 |
| #106 |  Senegal | 93.89 | 18,931,966 | 2023 |
| #107 |  Honduras | 95.14 | 11,005,850 | 2023 |
| #108 |  Kenya | 95.27 | 57,532,493 | 2023 |
| #109 |  Spain | 96.76 | 49,355,143 | 2023 |
| #110 |  Ivory Coast | 98.01 | 32,711,547 | 2023 |
| #111 |  Northern Mariana Islands | 98.14 | 43,541 | 2023 |
| #112 |  Cambodia | 98.71 | 17,847,982 | 2023 |
| #113 |  Costa Rica | 99.99 | 5,152,950 | 2023 |
| #114 |  Iraq | 103.83 | 47,020,774 | 2023 |
| #115 |  Hungary | 105.11 | 9,514,251 | 2023 |
| #116 |  Armenia | 105.12 | 3,086,700 | 2023 |
| #117 |  Slovenia | 105.31 | 2,130,986 | 2023 |
| #118 |  Cuba | 106.17 | 10,937,203 | 2023 |
| #119 |  Malaysia | 106.91 | 35,977,838 | 2023 |
| #120 |  Austria | 110.66 | 9,208,163 | 2023 |
| #121 |  Türkiye | 110.87 | 85,878,556 | 2023 |
| #122 |  Slovakia | 112.87 | 5,413,813 | 2023 |
| #123 |  Ethiopia | 114.04 | 135,472,051 | 2023 |
| #124 |  Egypt | 115.06 | 118,365,995 | 2023 |
| #125 |  Portugal | 115.48 | 10,804,871 | 2023 |
| #126 |  Sierra Leone | 117.21 | 8,819,794 | 2023 |
| #127 |  Poland | 119.79 | 36,435,861 | 2023 |
| #128 |  Azerbaijan | 122.85 | 10,246,996 | 2023 |
| #129 |  Benin | 125.14 | 14,814,460 | 2023 |
| #130 |  France | 126.86 | 68,720,337 | 2023 |
| #131 |  Syria | 128.49 | 25,620,427 | 2023 |
| #132 |  Jordan | 128.83 | 11,520,684 | 2023 |
| #133 |  Cape Verde | 129.61 | 527,326 | 2023 |
| #134 |  Thailand | 140.35 | 71,619,863 | 2023 |
| #135 |  Czechia | 140.79 | 10,886,878 | 2023 |
| #136 |  Tonga | 145.27 | 103,742 | 2023 |
| #137 |  Cyprus | 145.56 | 1,370,754 | 2023 |
| #138 |  United Arab Emirates | 147.62 | 11,513,149 | 2023 |
| #139 |  Isle of Man | 147.66 | 84,118 | 2023 |
| #140 |  Ghana | 148.50 | 35,064,272 | 2023 |
| #141 |  Indonesia | 148.58 | 285,721,236 | 2023 |
| #142 |  Denmark | 148.67 | 6,009,169 | 2023 |
| #143 |  China | 150.26 | 1,406,585,000 | 2023 |
| #144 |  Togo | 151.20 | 8,591,626 | 2023 |
| #145 |  Micronesia | 160.90 | 113,683 | 2023 |
| #146 |  Kiribati | 163.62 | 136,488 | 2023 |
| #147 |  Guatemala | 169.14 | 18,687,881 | 2023 |
| #148 |  Andorra | 172.03 | 82,904 | 2023 |
| #149 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 179.84 | 46,922 | 2023 |
| #150 |  Italy | 199.46 | 58,915,656 | 2023 |
| #151 |  Nepal | 207.15 | 29,618,118 | 2023 |
| #152 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 212.08 | 94,209 | 2023 |
| #153 |  Marshall Islands | 215.71 | 36,282 | 2023 |
| #154 |  North Korea | 219.40 | 26,571,036 | 2023 |
| #155 |  Malawi | 223.85 | 22,216,120 | 2023 |
| #156 |  Switzerland | 224.98 | 9,092,436 | 2023 |
| #157 |  Qatar | 231.16 | 2,972,215 | 2023 |
| #158 |  Dominican Republic | 235.10 | 11,520,487 | 2023 |
| #159 |  American Samoa | 237.60 | 46,029 | 2023 |
| #160 |  Germany | 238.35 | 83,491,249 | 2023 |
| #161 |  São Tomé and Príncipe | 240.49 | 240,254 | 2023 |
| #162 |  Uganda | 242.65 | 51,384,894 | 2023 |
| #163 |  Liechtenstein | 249.04 | 41,024 | 2023 |
| #164 |  Nigeria | 250.21 | 237,527,782 | 2023 |
| #165 |  Luxembourg | 258.86 | 686,970 | 2023 |
| #166 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 259.80 | 99,924 | 2023 |
| #167 |  British Virgin Islands | 259.90 | 39,732 | 2023 |
| #168 |  Seychelles | 260.38 | 122,730 | 2023 |
| #169 |  Jamaica | 262.21 | 2,837,077 | 2023 |
| #170 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 266.57 | 1,367,764 | 2023 |
| #171 |  Gambia | 266.59 | 2,822,093 | 2023 |
| #172 |  Kuwait | 272.36 | 4,865,298 | 2023 |
| #173 |  United Kingdom | 283.25 | 69,487,000 | 2023 |
| #174 |  Saint Lucia | 293.91 | 180,149 | 2023 |
| #175 |  United States Virgin Islands | 299.76 | 103,792 | 2023 |
| #176 |  Cayman Islands | 304.32 | 75,844 | 2023 |
| #177 |  El Salvador | 304.52 | 6,365,503 | 2023 |
| #178 |  Guam | 308.34 | 168,999 | 2023 |
| #179 |  Vietnam | 320.18 | 101,598,527 | 2023 |
| #180 |  Pakistan | 321.07 | 255,219,554 | 2023 |
| #181 |  Tuvalu | 327.20 | 9,492 | 2023 |
| #182 |  Japan | 341.54 | 123,366,734 | 2023 |
| #183 |  Grenada | 344.36 | 117,303 | 2023 |
| #184 |  Curaçao | 348.32 | 156,263 | 2023 |
| #185 |  Sri Lanka | 356.24 | 21,756,000 | 2023 |
| #186 |  Puerto Rico | 361.19 | 3,184,835 | 2023 |
| #187 |  Philippines | 385.32 | 116,786,962 | 2023 |
| #188 |  Belgium | 386.30 | 11,941,781 | 2023 |
| #189 |  Haiti | 422.26 | 11,906,095 | 2023 |
| #190 |  Israel | 455.13 | 10,122,800 | 2023 |
| #191 |  Comoros | 456.95 | 882,847 | 2023 |
| #192 |  India | 483.68 | 1,463,865,525 | 2023 |
| #193 |  South Korea | 529.84 | 51,684,564 | 2023 |
| #194 |  Netherlands | 530.95 | 18,087,633 | 2023 |
| #195 |  Burundi | 533.08 | 14,390,003 | 2023 |
| #196 |  Saint Martin | 550.30 | 24,941 | 2023 |
| #197 |  San Marino | 564.33 | 34,109 | 2023 |
| #198 |  Lebanon | 564.37 | 5,849,421 | 2023 |
| #199 |  Rwanda | 565.65 | 14,569,341 | 2023 |
| #200 |  Nauru | 593.75 | 12,025 | 2023 |
| #201 |  Aruba | 596.44 | 108,785 | 2023 |
| #202 |  Mauritius | 625.26 | 1,243,741 | 2023 |
| #203 |  Barbados | 656.60 | 282,623 | 2023 |
| #204 | CHI Channel Islands | 842.13 | 168,466 | 2021 |
| #205 |  Palestine | 857.39 | 5,413,596 | 2023 |
| #206 |  Bermuda | 1,198.11 | 64,555 | 2023 |
| #207 |  Sint Maarten | 1,257.32 | 43,923 | 2023 |
| #208 |  Bangladesh | 1,319.18 | 175,686,899 | 2023 |
| #209 |  Malta | 1,727.33 | 579,704 | 2023 |
| #210 |  Maldives | 1,765.08 | 529,676 | 2023 |
| #211 |  Bahrain | 1,971.32 | 1,600,366 | 2023 |
| #212 |  Gibraltar | 3,847.10 | 40,126 | 2023 |
| #213 |  Hong Kong | 7,177.24 | 7,498,900 | 2023 |
| #214 |  Singapore | 8,241.85 | 6,111,175 | 2023 |
| #215 |  Monaco | 18,692.90 | 38,341 | 2023 |
| #216 |  Macau | 20,569.70 | 685,900 | 2023 |
Other rankings
Largest countries by population, Smallest countries and territories by population, Fastest-growing countries, Fastest-shrinking countries, Highest birth rates, Lowest birth rates, Highest fertility rates, Oldest populations (share aged 65+), Youngest populations (share aged 0–14), Most densely populated countries, Highest life expectancy, Most urbanised countries, Richest countries by GDP per capita.
Source: World Bank Indicators (latest available year per country, shown in the last column). Countries with no value for this indicator are omitted, not scored as zero.
What changed during your lifetime?
Turn these figures into a private, five-scene personal world story.
The definition determines the ranking
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.