Largest countries by area
Total surface area including inland water. Russia is nearly twice the size of the runner-up.
Headline finding
Russia leads the world for largest countries by area at 17.10M km² (millions).
The full top 25: Largest countries by area
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 Russia 17.10M
- 2 Canada 9.98M
- 3 United States 9.83M
- 4 China 9.60M
- 5 Brazil 8.51M
- 6 Australia 7.69M
- 7 India 3.29M
- 8 Argentina 2.78M
- 9 Kazakhstan 2.72M
- 10 Algeria 2.38M
- 11 DR Congo 2.34M
- 12 Saudi Arabia 2.15M
- 13 Mexico 1.96M
- 14 Indonesia 1.90M
- 15 Sudan 1.86M
- 16 Libya 1.76M
- 17 Iran 1.65M
- 18 Mongolia 1.56M
- 19 Peru 1.29M
- 20 Chad 1.28M
- 21 Niger 1.27M
- 22 Angola 1.25M
- 23 Mali 1.24M
- 24 South Africa 1.22M
- 25 Colombia 1.14M
What the numbers show
Russia's lead at the top of this ranking is 71.3% above the second-place country — a margin so wide it suggests we're looking at a structural advantage rather than a close-run race.
The five countries leading the table — Russia, Canada, United States, China, Brazil — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with Colombia anchoring the list at 1.14M.
Figures are drawn from CIA World Factbook 2024. We use this source because it produces a single, internally consistent dataset rather than aggregating from national statistics offices, which makes year-on-year comparison reliable. The next update is expected when the source publishes its next annual release — see the methodology section below for which year of data is currently shown.
Methodology and caveats
- What this measures
- km² (millions)
- Source
- CIA World Factbook 2024
- Coverage
- Top 25 countries shown. Full source dataset covers all 195 sovereign states where data is available.
- Refresh cadence
- Updated annually as the source publishes new figures, typically autumn or spring.
- Known caveat
- Country definitions follow the source: where the UN, the World Bank and the CIA Factbook disagree on borders or recognition, we use the figure as published rather than reconciling between bodies. Comparisons across rankings should be made with this in mind.
Frequently asked
Which country tops the ranking for countries by area?
Russia leads with 17.10M km² (millions). Canada is second at 9.98M, with United States in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the countries by area ranking?
The figures come from CIA World Factbook 2024. We use this source because it publishes a complete country-by-country dataset using consistent methodology — the alternative of mixing national statistics offices would compromise comparability. Updated annually with the latest available vintage of the data.
How often are the countries by area figures updated?
Once a year, in line with the source institution's publishing schedule. Major institutions like the World Bank, IMF and UNESCO publish annual updates in different months — typically autumn or spring — and the figures here reflect the most recently published vintage. The source footer on the ranking table shows which year's data is currently displayed.