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Countries Ranked by Surface area in 1990

Surface area for each country in 1990, ranked from highest to lowest. Source: The World Bank (CC BY 4.0).

Summary

In 1990, Russian Federation ranks #1 with 17.1 million km². Canada is second with 15.64 million km², 9.3% behind. The top five are Russian Federation, Canada, United States, China and Brazil. Together the top 10 account for 56.9% of the total across the 212 countries listed. The median across all 212 is 98,954 km²; Monaco is last at 2.03 km².

#1
Russian Federation · 17.1 million km²
Median
98,954 km²
Coverage
212 countries
Data year
1990
Last updated
2026-11-14
Top 10: Surface areaBar chart of the top 10: 1. Russian Federation 17.1 million; 2. Canada 15.64 million; 3. United States 9.63 million; 4. China 9.56 million; 5. Brazil 8.52 million; 6. Australia 7.74 million; 7. India 3.29 million; 8. Argentina 2.78 million; 9. Kazakhstan 2.72 million; 10. Sudan 2.51 million.Russian Federation17.1 millionCanada15.64 millionUnited States9.63 millionChina9.56 millionBrazil8.52 millionAustralia7.74 millionIndia3.29 millionArgentina2.78 millionKazakhstan2.72 millionSudan2.51 million
Top 10: Surface area (km²). Bar chart of the top 10: 1. Russian Federation 17.1 million; 2. Canada 15.64 million; 3. United States 9.63 million; 4. China 9.56 million; 5. Brazil 8.52 million; 6. Australia 7.74 million; 7. India 3.29 million; 8. Argentina 2.78 million; 9. Kazakhstan 2.72 million; 10. Sudan 2.51 million.
Share of the total: Surface areaRussian Federation 12.2%; Canada 11.2%; United States 6.9%; China 6.8%; Brazil 6.1%; All others 56.7%12%11%57%

Russian Federation 12.2%Canada 11.2%United States 6.9%China 6.8%Brazil 6.1%All others 56.7%

Share of the total: Surface area, as a share of 212 countries. Russian Federation 12.2%; Canada 11.2%; United States 6.9%; China 6.8%; Brazil 6.1%; All others 56.7%.

Full ranking

Countries Ranked by Surface area in 1990, 1990
RankCountrySurface area (km²)
1Russian Federation17,098,000
2Canada15,641,000
3United States9,629,100
4China9,563,000
5Brazil8,515,800
6Australia7,741,200
7India3,287,300
8Argentina2,780,400
9Kazakhstan2,724,900
10Sudan2,505,800
11Algeria2,381,700
12Congo, Dem. Rep.2,344,900
13Saudi Arabia2,149,700
14Mexico1,964,400
15Indonesia1,910,900
16Libya1,759,500
17Iran, Islamic Rep.1,745,200
18Mongolia1,564,100
19Peru1,285,200
20Chad1,284,000
21Niger1,267,000
22Angola1,246,700
23Mali1,240,200
24Ethiopia1,221,900
25South Africa1,219,100
26Colombia1,141,800
27Bolivia1,098,600
28Mauritania1,030,700
29Egypt, Arab Rep.1,001,500
30Tanzania947,300
31Nigeria923,770
32Venezuela, RB912,050
33Namibia824,290
34Mozambique799,380
35Pakistan796,100
36Türkiye785,350
37Chile756,100
38Zambia752,610
39Myanmar676,590
40Afghanistan652,860
41Somalia, Fed. Rep.637,660
42Central African Republic622,980
43Ukraine603,560
44Madagascar587,040
45Botswana581,730
46Kenya580,370
47France549,090
48Yemen, Rep.527,970
49Thailand513,120
50Spain505,990
51Turkmenistan488,100
52Cameroon475,440
53Papua New Guinea462,840
54Sweden447,420
55Uzbekistan447,400
56Morocco446,550
57Iraq438,320
58Paraguay406,750
59Zimbabwe390,760
60Norway385,180
61Japan377,800
62Germany356,970
63Congo, Rep.342,000
64Greenland341,700
65Finland338,150
66Viet Nam331,030
67Malaysia330,800
68Côte d'Ivoire322,460
69Poland312,690
70Oman309,500
71Italy301,340
72Philippines300,000
73Ecuador283,560
74Burkina Faso274,220
75New Zealand267,710
76Gabon267,670
77Guinea245,860
78United Kingdom243,610
79Uganda241,550
80Ghana238,540
81Romania238,390
82Lao PDR236,800
83Guyana214,970
84Belarus207,600
85Kyrgyz Republic199,950
86Senegal196,710
87Syrian Arab Republic185,180
88Cambodia181,040
89Uruguay176,220
90Suriname163,820
91Tunisia163,610
92Bangladesh148,460
93Nepal147,180
94Tajikistan142,550
95Greece131,960
96Nicaragua130,370
97Korea, Dem. People's Rep.120,540
98Malawi118,480
99Benin114,760
100Honduras112,490

Showing the top 100 of 212. Premium downloads the full list as CSV or JSON.

About the top 10

#3 United States

United States ranks #3 on this list with 9.63 million km².

Capital
Washington, D.C.
Continent
North America
Income group
High income
Population
341.78 million people (2025)
GDP
US$30.77 trillion (2025)
GDP per person
US$90,027 (2025)
Life expectancy
78.9 years (2024)
Urban population
80.2% of population (2025)

Largest cities: New York metropolitan area, New York City, Chicago.

Also ranks #1 in gdp (current us$) · #1 in health expenditure per capita · #1 in imports of goods and services.

Full country profile Weather in New York (Purr Weather)

#6 Australia

Australia ranks #6 on this list with 7.74 million km².

Capital
Canberra
Continent
Oceania
Income group
High income
Population
27.61 million people (2025)
GDP
US$1.8 trillion (2025)
GDP per person
US$65,130 (2025)
Life expectancy
83.1 years (2024)
Urban population
87.7% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane.

Also ranks #2 in regulatory quality score · #3 in access to clean cooking fuels · #4 in new businesses registered.

Full country profile Weather in Sydney (Purr Weather)

Profile facts: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0); weather links go to Purr Weather, another ChowChow Labs site.

Related rankings

Source and method

Surface area for each country in 1990, ranked from highest to lowest.

Source: The World Bank, indicator AG.SRF.TOTL.K2. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Retrieved: 2026-11-14.

The World Bank: Surface area (sq. km): FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (via World Development Indicators)

Original data provider, as recorded by the World Bank: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Values are shown as published. Provider terms: The World Bank. All licences: Sources & licences.