PopulationPyramids
UN World Population Prospects Data Visualized

Smallest Countries in the World

All 195 countries ranked by surface area. Vatican City is the smallest at 0.44 km², then Monaco (2 km²), Nauru and Tuvalu.

The smallest by population is Vatican City, with 496 people (2023).

Areas: UN Demographic Yearbook 2024 · Population: UN World Population Prospects 2024 (2026)

#1 smallestEurope
Vatican City
0.44 km²
0.17 mi² · <0.1% of combined
Pop 4961,127/km²
#2 smallestEurope
Monaco
2 km²
0.77 mi² · <0.1% of combined
Pop 38,08719,044/km²
#3 smallestOceania
Nauru
21 km²
8.11 mi² · <0.1% of combined
Pop 12,102576/km²
#4 smallestOceania
Tuvalu
26 km²
10 mi² · <0.1% of combined
Pop 9,362360/km²
#5 smallestEurope
San Marino
61 km²
24 mi² · <0.1% of combined
Pop 33,605551/km²
#6 smallestEurope
Liechtenstein
160 km²
62 mi² · <0.1% of combined
Pop 40,368252/km²
#7 smallestOceania
Marshall Islands
181 km²
70 mi² · <0.1% of combined
Pop 35,075194/km²
#8 smallestAmericas
Saint Kitts and Nevis
261 km²
101 mi² · <0.1% of combined
Pop 46,992180/km²
#9 smallestAsia
Maldives
300 km²
116 mi² · <0.1% of combined
Pop 531,5171,772/km²
#10 smallestEurope
Malta
315 km²
122 mi² · <0.1% of combined
Pop 549,0111,743/km²

World map — 10 smallest countries marked

The 10 smallest countries are too small to draw at this scale, so each is pinned and labeled with its area. Click a label to open the country.

Areas: UN Demographic Yearbook 2024 · Boundaries: Natural Earth
1. Vatican City — 0.44 km²2. Monaco — 2 km²3. Nauru — 21 km²4. Tuvalu — 26 km²5. San Marino — 61 km²6. Liechtenstein — 160 km²7. Marshall Islands — 181 km²8. Saint Kitts and Nevis — 261 km²9. Maldives — 300 km²10. Malta — 315 km²11. Vatican City — 0.44 km²22. Monaco — 2 km²33. Nauru — 21 km²44. Tuvalu — 26 km²55. San Marino — 61 km²66. Liechtenstein — 160 km²77. Marshall Islands — 181 km²88. Saint Kitts and Nevis — 261 km²99. Maldives — 300 km²1010. Malta — 315 km²1Vatican City0.44 km²1. Vatican City — 0.44 km²2Monaco2 km²2. Monaco — 2 km²3Nauru21 km²3. Nauru — 21 km²4Tuvalu26 km²4. Tuvalu — 26 km²5San Marino61 km²5. San Marino — 61 km²6Liechtenstein160 km²6. Liechtenstein — 160 km²7Marshall Islands181 km²7. Marshall Islands — 181 km²8Saint Kitts and Nevis261 km²8. Saint Kitts and Nevis — 261 km²9Maldives300 km²9. Maldives — 300 km²10Malta315 km²10. Malta — 315 km²
Hover for details · Click to open · Scroll to zoom
  1. 1Vatican City0.44 km²
  2. 2Monaco2 km²
  3. 3Nauru21 km²
  4. 4Tuvalu26 km²
  5. 5San Marino61 km²
  6. 6Liechtenstein160 km²
  7. 7Marshall Islands181 km²
  8. 8Saint Kitts and Nevis261 km²
  9. 9Maldives300 km²
  10. 10Malta315 km²
10 smallest by surface area
Markers show countries too small to draw at this map's 1:110 million scale.

10 Smallest Countries by Surface Area

Areas: UN Demographic Yearbook 2024
10 Smallest Countries by Surface Area#1Vatican City0.44 km²#2Monaco2 km²#3Nauru21 km²#4Tuvalu26 km²#5San Marino61 km²#6Liechtenstein160 km²#7Marshall Islands181 km²#8Saint Kitts and Nevis261 km²#9Maldives300 km²#10Malta315 km²0100200300Surface area in km² (land + inland water)

The 50 smallest countries

All 195 countries ranked by area →

Ranked 1 = smallest. Click any column to sort. Area is surface area (land + inland water); density is 2026 population per km².

1Vatican City*0.440.17<0.1%496 (2023)1,127
2Monaco20.77<0.1%38,08719,044
3Nauru218.11<0.1%12,102576
4Tuvalu2610<0.1%9,362360
5San Marino6124<0.1%33,605551
6Liechtenstein16062<0.1%40,368252
7Marshall Islands18170<0.1%35,075194
8Saint Kitts and Nevis261101<0.1%46,992180
9Maldives300116<0.1%531,5171,772
10Malta315122<0.1%549,0111,743
11Grenada345133<0.1%117,362340
12Saint Vincent and the Grenadines389150<0.1%99,244255
13Barbados431166<0.1%282,724656
14Antigua and Barbuda442171<0.1%94,625214
15Seychelles457176<0.1%134,959295
16Palau459177<0.1%17,61538.4
17Andorra468181<0.1%83,753179
18Saint Lucia616238<0.1%180,488293
19Micronesia702271<0.1%114,183163
20Kiribati*726280<0.1%138,445191
21Singapore*736284<0.1%5.9M8,028
22Tonga747288<0.1%103,291138
23Dominica750290<0.1%65,51087.3
24Bahrain778301<0.1%1.7M2,153
25Sao Tome and Principe964372<0.1%244,994254
26Comoros*1,861719<0.1%899,010483
27Mauritius1,979764<0.1%1.3M639
28Luxembourg2,586998<0.1%687,449266
29Samoa2,8421,097<0.1%220,52877.6
30Cabo Verde4,0331,557<0.1%529,630131
31Trinidad and Tobago5,1271,980<0.1%1.5M295
32Brunei5,7652,226<0.1%469,77481.5
33Palestine6,0202,324<0.1%5.7M946
34Cyprus9,2513,572<0.1%1.4M149
35Lebanon10,4524,036<0.1%5.9M564
36Jamaica10,9914,243<0.1%2.8M258
37Gambia11,2954,361<0.1%2.9M255
38Qatar11,6374,493<0.1%3.2M273
39Vanuatu12,1894,706<0.1%342,56528.1
40Montenegro13,8885,362<0.1%626,23345.1
41Bahamas13,9405,382<0.1%404,62829.0
42Timor-Leste14,9545,774<0.1%1.4M96.1
43Eswatini17,3636,704<0.1%1.3M73.1
44Kuwait17,8186,880<0.1%5.1M286
45Fiji18,2727,055<0.1%937,28151.3
46Slovenia20,2737,827<0.1%2.1M104
47El Salvador21,0418,124<0.1%6.4M304
48Israel22,0728,522<0.1%9.6M437
49Belize22,9668,867<0.1%428,64518.7
50Djibouti23,2008,958<0.1%1.2M51.7
Notes
  • * Vatican City — Yearbook footnote 144: surface area is 0.44 km².
  • * Kiribati — Yearbook footnote: land area only; excludes 84 km² of uninhabited islands.
  • * Singapore — Yearbook footnote: land area of the main island and other islands.
  • * Comoros — The Yearbook figure (2,235 km²) includes Mayotte, which the UN population estimates count separately; FAO surface area (2023) used.

About the data

  • Areas are the UN Demographic Yearbook 2024 surface areas reported by national statistical offices.
  • Exceptions: Sudan (not reported in the Yearbook), Comoros and Argentina (the Yearbook figure covers territory the UN population estimates count separately) use FAO surface area for 2023.
  • Finland, Norway and Australia add territories the Yearbook lists separately but the UN population estimates include: the Åland Islands; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Norfolk Island.
  • FAO surface area is not used generally because recent FAO figures include some coastal waters for several countries (for example Canada 15,634,410 km², Monaco 74.9 km², Norway 624,500 km²).
  • Areas are national definitions as reported to the UN and can differ from other published figures.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the smallest country in the world?

Vatican City, at 0.44 km² (0.17 mi²) — an enclave within Rome.

What are the 10 smallest countries by area?

1. Vatican City (0.44 km²), 2. Monaco (2 km²), 3. Nauru (21 km²), 4. Tuvalu (26 km²), 5. San Marino (61 km²), 6. Liechtenstein (160 km²), 7. Marshall Islands (181 km²), 8. Saint Kitts and Nevis (261 km²), 9. Maldives (300 km²), 10. Malta (315 km²).

What is the smallest country by population?

Vatican City, with 496 people (2023), then Tuvalu (9,362) and Nauru (12,102) in 2026.

Is Monaco smaller than Vatican City?

No. Monaco is 2 km² and Vatican City is 0.44 km², so Vatican City is the smaller — the smallest country in the world.

Where does the data come from?

Surface area (land plus inland waters) is from the UN Demographic Yearbook 2024 for 192 countries, with FAO 2023 figures for Sudan, Comoros and Argentina. Population is from UN World Population Prospects 2024 for 2026.

Explore more rankings