Smallest Country in the World
The world is full of these amazing small countries, each having its own special heritage and unique culture. It's interesting to know that even though they're tiny compared to other countries, a handful of them actually have a huge impact on global politics and the economy. Vatican City claims the title of the smallest country in the world, boasting a population of approximately 800 individuals and occupying a mere 0.44 square kilometers of land. So, let's dive more deeply into the list of the smallest countries in the world and also explore their population and land area to get the full picture. Below is the list of Smallest Country in the world by area for each Continent. To check complete list, see the bigger table of countries below.Smallest Country in the World in each continent
Asia
Asia, the biggest of all the continents, encompasses approximately 30% of the Earth's total land mass. It's worth noting that the Maldives, situated in the southern region of Asia, claims the title of being the smallest country in Asia. Comprising 26 atolls in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives covers an area of roughly 116 square miles and is home to approximately 427,756 people.
Europe
Positioned within Rome, the capital of Italy, Vatican City boasts the distinction of being the smallest country in the Europe continent. As of 2023, this remarkable city-state is home to over 800 individuals, all residing within an incredibly compact area spanning a mere 0.44 square kilometers.
Africa
Seychelles is the smallest nation in the African continent which covers 459 km2 (177 sq mi) area and is home to around 100,092 individuals. The cultural and societal fabric of Seychelles is a diverse blend, combining influences from French, British, and African origins.
North America
St. Kitts and Nevis is the smallest nation in North America that spans around 261 square kilometers and provides home to around 53,544 residents.
Antarctica
It holds the title of the 5th biggest continent in the world and covers a 14,200,000 square kilometer area on Earth. Since there is no country in Antarctica, there is no smallest country.
South America
Suriname holds the record of being the smallest nation in South America covering a total of 163,820 square kilometers of land. Suriname is a country that is home to approximately 612,985 people. It is surrounded by different regions: the Atlantic Ocean on the north side, French Guiana on the east, Guyana on the west, and Brazil on the south.
Oceanian
The smallest country in the Oceanian continent is Nauru and it has a land area spanning a mere 21 square kilometers. The estimated population of this nation is around 10,834.
Smallest Country in North America | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
Smallest Country in Europe | Vatican City |
Smallest Country in Asia | Maldives |
Smallest Country in Africa | Seychelles |
Smallest Country in Australia and Oceania | Nauru |
Some of the information about the countries is as follows:
- The entire population of the country is within the measurement of less than a single square kilometer of space
- Some of the common nationalities are Swiss, Argentian, Italian, and such
- Some of the commonly spoken languages here are French, Italian, and Latin.
- It is situated in the western Europe region
- Monte Carlo is known as the largest administrative by the sense of population
- Monte Carlo is also famous across the world for its tax policies and such
- This microstate is situated in the Italian Peninsula
- Italian is the primary language of this country
- This country has a comparable economy to that of Italy
- This country is located in Europe
- This country is divided into 11 of its municipalities
- Since this country has a strong financial sector, it has one of the highest GDPs
- It is an actual island that is located in Micronesia
- It is also known as the least populous country in Oceania
- Nauruan is said to be the largest ethnic group in this country
- This is an island country that is situated in the United States
- The majority of the population in this country is Marshallese
- The languages being spoken in this country are Marshallese and English
- It is found in the Pacific Ocean
- Before gaining independence in the year 1978, it was originally owned by the United Kingdom
- Polynesians are the major ethnic group of this country
- It is an island that is situated in the Indian Ocean-Arabian Sea region
- People from Sri Lanka and southern India are said to be the earliest inhabitants of this island
- In terms of ethical relations, the people of this island are related to the Indian subcontinent
- Even though it is a small country, it is also a densely populated country
- This country has free-standing structures in the world
- The national language of this country is Maltese
- In the Western Hemisphere, it is one of the smallest sovereign states
- It is also the sole sovereign federation in the Caribbean
- One of the first islands that the Europeans colonized is Saint Kitts and Nevis
Here is the list of 100 smallest countries in the world based on area.
Rank | Country | Area km2 |
Area mi2 |
Continent |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Vatican City | 0.44 | 0.17 | Europe |
2 | Monaco | 2.02 | 0.78 | Europe |
3 | Nauru | 21 | 8.1 | Australia and Oceania |
4 | Tuvalu | 26 | 10 | Australia and Oceania |
5 | San Marino | 61 | 24 | Europe |
6 | Liechtenstein | 160 | 62 | Europe |
7 | Marshall Islands | 181 | 70 | Australia and Oceania |
8 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 269 | 104 | North America |
9 | Maldives | 300 | 116 | Asia |
10 | Malta | 316 | 122 | Europe |
11 | Grenada | 344 | 133 | North America |
12 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 389 | 150 | North America |
13 | Barbados | 430 | 170 | North America |
14 | Antigua and Barbuda | 442 | 171 | North America |
15 | Seychelles | 455 | 176 | Africa |
16 | Palau | 460 | 178 | Australia and Oceania |
17 | Andorra | 468 | 181 | Europe |
18 | Saint Lucia | 616 | 238 | North America |
19 | Micronesia | 702 | 271 | Australia and Oceania |
20 | Singapore | 719.1 | 277.6 | Asia |
21 | Tonga | 747 | 288 | Australia and Oceania |
22 | Dominica | 751 | 290 | North America |
23 | Bahrain | 780 | 301 | Asia |
24 | Kiribati | 811 | 313 | Australia and Oceania |
25 | Sao Tome and Principe | 1,001 | 386 | Africa |
26 | Mauritius | 2,040 | 788 | Africa |
27 | Comoros | 2,235 | 863 | Africa |
28 | Luxembourg | 2,586 | 998 | Europe |
29 | Samoa | 2,842 | 1,097 | Australia and Oceania |
30 | Cabo Verde | 4,033 | 1,557 | Africa |
31 | Trinidad and Tobago | 5,131 | 1,981 | North America |
32 | Brunei | 5,765 | 2,226 | Asia |
33 | Palestine | 6,220 | 2,402 | Asia |
34 | Cyprus | 9,250 | 3,571 | Europe |
35 | Lebanon | 10,452 | 4,036 | Asia |
36 | Kosovo | 10,887 | 4,203 | Europe |
37 | Jamaica | 10,991 | 4,244 | North America |
38 | Gambia | 11,295 | 4,361 | Africa |
39 | Qatar | 11,586 | 4,473 | Asia |
40 | Vanuatu | 12,189 | 4,706 | Australia and Oceania |
41 | Montenegro | 13,812 | 5,333 | Europe |
42 | Bahamas | 13,878 | 5,358 | North America |
43 | Timor-Leste | 14,874 | 5,743 | Asia |
44 | Eswatini | 17,364 | 6,704 | Africa |
45 | Kuwait | 17,818 | 6,880 | Asia |
46 | Fiji | 18,274 | 7,056 | Australia and Oceania |
47 | Slovenia | 20,273 | 7,827 | Europe |
48 | Israel | 20,770 | 8,019 | Asia |
49 | El Salvador | 21,041 | 8,124 | North America |
50 | Belize | 22,966 | 8,867 | North America |
51 | Djibouti | 23,200 | 8,958 | Africa |
52 | North Macedonia | 25,713 | 9,928 | Europe |
53 | Rwanda | 26,338 | 10,169 | Africa |
54 | Haiti | 27,750 | 10,714 | North America |
55 | Burundi | 27,830 | 10,745 | Africa |
56 | Equatorial Guinea | 28,051 | 10,831 | Africa |
57 | Albania | 28,748 | 11,100 | Europe |
58 | Solomon Islands | 28,896 | 11,157 | Australia and Oceania |
59 | Armenia | 29,743 | 11,484 | Europe |
60 | Lesotho | 30,355 | 11,720 | Africa |
61 | Belgium | 30,528 | 11,787 | Europe |
62 | Moldova | 33,843 | 13,067 | Europe |
63 | Taiwan | 36,000 | 13,900 | Asia |
64 | Guinea-Bissau | 36,125 | 13,948 | Africa |
65 | Bhutan | 38,394 | 14,824 | Asia |
66 | Switzerland | 41,285 | 15,940 | Europe |
67 | Netherlands(incl. overseas territories) | 42,199 | 16,293 | Europe |
68 | Estonia | 45,227 | 17,462 | Europe |
69 | Dominican Republic | 48,670 | 18,792 | North America |
70 | Slovakia | 49,036 | 18,933 | Europe |
71 | Costa Rica | 51,100 | 19,730 | North America |
72 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 51,209 | 19,772 | Europe |
73 | Croatia | 56,594 | 21,851 | Europe |
74 | Togo | 56,785 | 21,925 | Africa |
75 | Latvia | 64,589 | 24,938 | Europe |
76 | Lithuania | 65,300 | 25,212 | Europe |
77 | Sri Lanka | 65,610 | 25,332 | Asia |
78 | Georgia | 69,700 | 26,911 | Asia / Europe |
79 | Ireland | 70,282 | 27,136 | Europe |
80 | Sierra Leone | 71,740 | 27,699 | Africa |
81 | Panama | 75,420 | 29,120 | North America |
82 | Serbia | 77,474 | 29,913 | Europe |
83 | Czechia | 78,867 | 30,451 | Europe |
84 | United Arab Emirates | 83,600 | 32,278 | Asia |
85 | Austria | 83,879 | 32,386 | Europe |
86 | Azerbaijan | 86,600 | 33,436 | Asia / Europe |
87 | Jordan | 89,342 | 34,495 | Asia |
88 | Portugal | 92,220 | 35,606 | Europe |
89 | Hungary | 93,028 | 35,918 | Europe |
90 | South Korea | 100,266 | 38,713 | Asia |
91 | Iceland | 103,000 | 38,768 | Europe |
92 | Guatemala | 108,889 | 42,042 | North America |
93 | Cuba | 109,880 | 42,425 | North America |
94 | Bulgaria | 110,879 | 42,811 | Europe |
95 | Liberia | 111,369 | 43,000 | Africa |
96 | Honduras | 112,090 | 43,278 | North America |
97 | Benin | 114,763 | 44,310 | Africa |
98 | Eritrea | 117,600 | 45,406 | Africa |
99 | Malawi | 118,484 | 45,747 | Africa |
100 | North Korea | 120,540 | 46,541 | Asia |