What Is the Biggest Country in the World? Top 10 by Area

Russia spans 17,098,242 km²—larger than the next two countries combined—yet its vastness raises questions about how we measure national size and why rankings shift across sources. This article sorts through the data to settle the debate.

Largest by area: Russia (17,098,242 km²) · Second largest: Canada (9,984,670 km²) · World share: Russia covers 11% of global landmass

What are the top 10 largest countries?

A handful of nations dwarf all others when measured by total area. Russia sits alone at the top, followed by Canada, China, and the United States—though the exact positioning of those last three depends on how you count.

By total area

The gap between first and second place is striking: Russia alone accounts for 17 million km², while Canada—the runner-up—manages just under 10 million km². According to World Atlas, Russia has nearly twice the area of China, Canada, or the United States combined.

Excluding dependencies

Greenland, the world’s largest island, ranks 12th globally with roughly 2.16 million km²—but it belongs to Denmark, not a sovereign nation. When counting only independent countries, the top 10 list holds steady without any changes.

Is Russia or the USA bigger?

Russia wins by any measure, but the margin shifts depending on how you count.

Total area comparison

Russia spans 17,098,242 km² against the United States at 9,372,610 km² in most standard listings (PWOnlyIAS). The difference is stark: Russia is approximately 1.7 times bigger than the USA, or roughly 74% larger according to MyLifeElsewhere.

Land area only

The following table breaks down total versus land-only figures, revealing how water bodies affect rankings.

The discrepancy in USA figures—some sources list 9,833,517 km² versus 9,372,610 km²—stems from whether overseas territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands are included (MyLifeElsewhere). In the Britannica listing, which counts US territories, America ranks 3rd at 9,866,632 km².

The implication: territorial inclusions can flip a nation’s ranking by a full position, making it essential to verify which measurement standard any ranking uses.

What is the largest country in the world by population?

Area and population tell completely different stories. Russia dominates in square kilometers, but India and China dwarf it in people—and that gap is narrowing fast.

Top by population

India crossed the 1 billion person threshold years ago and recently surpassed China as the world’s most populous nation. Russia, despite its massive territory, has a population density of only about 8.78 people per km² according to Statista data—owing partly to vast stretches of Siberian tundra where few people live.

Countries over 1 billion

Which is the second largest country in the world?

Canada takes second place by most measurements, though its ranking has occasionally sparked debate—especially when factoring in lakes and coastal waters.

By area rankings 2-4

Canada claims second place at 9,984,670 km² total area per PWOnlyIAS. China sits in third at 9,706,961 km², with the United States close behind at 9,372,610 km². The spread between Canada and fourth-place USA is about 612,000 km²—larger than France, Belgium, and the Netherlands combined.

The pattern: the top four countries are so close that minor methodological choices—whether to include disputed territories, overseas possessions, or internal waters—can shuffle the entire order.

What is the smallest country in the world?

Flipping the scale, the world’s smallest nations are islands that barely register on maps. Vatican City leads the list at just 0.44 km².

Top 10 smallest

These ten sovereign states together occupy less than 1,200 km²—a fraction of Russia’s daily administrative divisions.

The contrast is staggering: Vatican City fits inside St. Peter’s Square, while Russia could swallow more than 38 million such microstates. Worldometers notes that Greenland ranks 12th globally but remains a dependency of Denmark, not a sovereign nation.

The pattern: size and significance diverge sharply—microstates thrive despite negligible territory, while the largest nations often struggle with vast, uninhabitable terrain.

The numbers paint a clear picture: Russia has no real competitor for the top spot. Even Canada—the runner-up—would need to grow by roughly 71% to match it. The only ranking debates worth having involve positions 2 through 4, where small differences in measurement methodology can shuffle the order.