Headline finding
Vatican City leads the world for least populous countries at 510 population.
The full top 25: Least populous countries
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 Vatican City 510
- 2 Tuvalu 11,000
- 3 Nauru 12,700
- 4 Palau 18,000
- 5 San Marino 33,800
- 6 Monaco 39,000
- 7 Liechtenstein 39,600
- 8 Marshall Islands 42,000
- 9 St Kitts & Nevis 47,700
- 10 Dominica 73,000
- 11 Andorra 80,000
- 12 Antigua & Barbuda 94,000
- 13 Seychelles 99,000
- 14 Kiribati 133,000
- 15 Micronesia 114,000
- 16 Tonga 106,000
- 17 Grenada 125,000
- 18 St Vincent & the Grenadines 104,000
- 19 São Tomé & Príncipe 232,000
- 20 Samoa 222,000
- 21 Saint Lucia 179,000
- 22 Vanuatu 335,000
- 23 Barbados 281,000
- 24 Maldives 521,000
- 25 Malta 535,000
What the numbers show
Vatican City's lead at the top of this ranking is -95.4% above the second-place country — a margin tight enough that the top spot has changed hands within the last five years and could change again.
The five countries leading the table — Vatican City, Tuvalu, Nauru, Palau, San Marino — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with Malta anchoring the list at 535,000.
Figures are drawn from UN Population Division 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
- population
- Source
- UN Population Division 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 populous countries?
Vatican City leads with 510 population. Tuvalu is second at 11,000, with Nauru in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the populous countries ranking?
The figures come from UN Population Division 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 populous countries 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.