Longest coastlines
Canada's coastline is so fractal it dwarfs every other country — six times longer than Russia's.
Headline finding
Canada leads the world for longest coastlines at 202,080 km.
The full top 25: Longest coastlines
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 Canada 202,080
- 2 Norway 58,133
- 3 Indonesia 54,716
- 4 Russia 37,653
- 5 Philippines 36,289
- 6 Japan 29,751
- 7 Australia 25,760
- 8 United States 19,924
- 9 New Zealand 15,134
- 10 China 14,500
- 11 Greece 13,676
- 12 United Kingdom 12,429
- 13 Mexico 9,330
- 14 Italy 7,600
- 15 Brazil 7,491
- 16 Denmark 7,314
- 17 Turkey 7,200
- 18 India 7,000
- 19 Chile 6,435
- 20 Papua New Guinea 5,152
- 21 Solomon Islands 5,313
- 22 Spain 4,964
- 23 Argentina 4,989
- 24 Cuba 3,735
- 25 Madagascar 4,828
What the numbers show
Canada's lead at the top of this ranking is 247.6% 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 — Canada, Norway, Indonesia, Russia, Philippines — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with Madagascar anchoring the list at 4,828.
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
- km
- 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 coastlines?
Canada leads with 202,080 km. Norway is second at 58,133, with Indonesia in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the coastlines 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 coastlines 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.