Wettest countries
Colombia's Pacific coast and Bangladesh's monsoon belt drive their averages sky-high.
Headline finding
Colombia leads the world for wettest countries at 3,240 mm/year (national average).
The full top 25: Wettest countries
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 Colombia 3,240
- 2 Papua New Guinea 3,142
- 3 Solomon Islands 3,028
- 4 Panama 2,928
- 5 Costa Rica 2,926
- 6 Malaysia 2,875
- 7 Indonesia 2,702
- 8 Bangladesh 2,666
- 9 Fiji 2,592
- 10 Singapore 2,497
- 11 Myanmar 2,341
- 12 Laos 1,834
- 13 Philippines 2,348
- 14 Maldives 1,972
- 15 Sri Lanka 1,712
- 16 Brunei 2,722
- 17 Timor-Leste 1,500
- 18 Cambodia 1,904
- 19 Vanuatu 2,417
- 20 French Polynesia 1,761
- 21 Congo (Brazzaville) 1,646
- 22 Gabon 1,830
- 23 Guinea-Bissau 1,577
- 24 Guinea 1,651
- 25 Liberia 2,391
What the numbers show
Colombia's lead at the top of this ranking is 3.1% 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 — Colombia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Panama, Costa Rica — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with Liberia anchoring the list at 2,391.
Figures are drawn from World Bank Climate Knowledge Portal. 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
- mm/year (national average)
- Source
- World Bank Climate Knowledge Portal
- 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 wettest countries?
Colombia leads with 3,240 mm/year (national average). Papua New Guinea is second at 3,142, with Solomon Islands in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the wettest countries ranking?
The figures come from World Bank Climate Knowledge Portal. 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 wettest 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.