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Smallest Countries in the World 2026

The world's smallest countries by both area and population. Vatican City is smallest at 0.49 km² — smaller than Central Park — and home to ~496 people. Monaco (2 km²) is the world's most densely populated country. Nauru (21 km²) is the smallest island nation.

Last updated · Area: CIA World Factbook · Population: UN WPP 2024

#1 smallest
Vatican City
0.49 km²
Pop: 496 · CIA Factbook
#2 smallest
Monaco
2 km²
Pop: 38,641 · CIA Factbook
#3 smallest
Nauru
21 km²
Pop: 11,956 · CIA Factbook

📋 Data Sources & Methodology

Area

Total area (land + inland water) from CIA World Factbook. Most stable measure available for small territories.

Population

UN World Population Prospects 2024. For very small countries, figures are typically national government estimates; can change visibly year-to-year because individual births and deaths matter.

What counts as a country

The 195 UN-recognized sovereign states. Self-declared "micronations" (Sealand, Liberland, Hutt River) not included. Taiwan, Kosovo, Somaliland not separately listed.

Vatican City

Population figure (~500) is set by the Holy See itself — almost all residents are Catholic clergy and Swiss Guards plus their families.

0.49
Vatican km²
Smaller than Central Park
~500
Vatican people
Smaller than one suburban school
19K
Monaco /km²
Densest country on Earth
5
Atoll nations
Existential climate risk

The 10 Smallest Countries on the World Map 2026

Use the region buttons or scroll to zoom — Vatican, Monaco, Nauru, Tuvalu are sub-pixel at world scale. Numbered pins mark each microstate.

Source: CIA World Factbook · Boundaries: Natural Earth
Jump to:
1Vatican City2Monaco3Nauru4Tuvalu5San Marino6Liechtenstein7Marshall Islands8Saint Kitts and Nevis9Maldives10Malta
Hover for details · Click to open · Scroll to zoom
Land area:No data<100K100K–500K500K–1M1M–3M3M–10M>10M km²

Why the pins and the zoom? Vatican City (0.49 km²), Monaco (2 km²), Nauru (21 km²), Tuvalu (26 km²) and the other microstates are physically smaller than a single pixel at world scale — they don't render as visible polygons. Use the Europe, Pacific, Caribbean, or Indian Ocean buttons above the map to zoom in to where each cluster actually sits, or scroll on the map and drag to pan freely. Click any pin's country in the table below to open its page.

Top 10 Smallest Countries by Land Area

Source: CIA World Factbook
Top 10 Smallest Countries by Land Area#1Vatican City0.49 km²pop: 496#2Monaco2 km²pop: 38,641#3Nauru21 km²pop: 11,956#4Tuvalu26 km²pop: 9,650#5San Marino61 km²pop: 33,591#6Liechtenstein160 km²pop: 39,871#7Marshall Islands181 km²pop: 37,556#8Saint Kitts and Nevis261 km²pop: 46,851#9Maldives298 km²pop: 527,811#10Malta316 km²pop: 539,619050100150200250316 km²Total area in km² — Vatican's bar is clamped to a minimum width for visibility
The ratio of largest-to-smallest in the top 10 is roughly 645×. Vatican City at 0.49 km² is microscopic even by microstate standards. Click any bar to view that country's page.

Top 10 Smallest Countries by Population

Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024
Top 10 Smallest Countries by Population#1Vatican City4960.49 km²#2Tuvalu9,65026 km²#3Nauru11,95621 km²#4Palau17,701459 km²#5San Marino33,59161 km²#6Marshall Islands37,556181 km²#7Monaco38,6412 km²#8Liechtenstein39,871160 km²#9Saint Kitts and Nevis46,851261 km²#10Dominica66,215750 km²010K20K30K40K50KTotal population (UN WPP 2024 estimates)
Vatican City (~500 people) is two orders of magnitude smaller than the next smallest. Each of these countries has the same UN General Assembly vote as China or India.

Top 10 Smallest by Area

Source: CIA World Factbook
#CountryArea km²Pop
1Vatican City0.49496
2Monaco238,641
3Nauru2111,956
4Tuvalu269,650
5San Marino6133,591
6Liechtenstein16039,871
7Marshall Islands18137,556
8Saint Kitts and Nevis26146,851
9Maldives298527,811
10Malta316539,619

Top 10 Smallest by Population

Source: UN WPP 2024
#CountryPopArea km²
1Vatican City4960.49
2Tuvalu9,65026
3Nauru11,95621
4Palau17,701459
5San Marino33,59161
6Marshall Islands37,556181
7Monaco38,6412
8Liechtenstein39,871160
9Saint Kitts and Nevis46,851261
10Dominica66,215750

The Five Categories of Microstates

Small countries fall into distinct historical groupings.

EU

European feudal survivors

Countries: Vatican City, Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Malta

Survived European unification and the Napoleonic Wars. Most are wealthy financial centers today. San Marino claims to be the oldest republic still in existence (founded 301 CE).

PAC

Pacific island nations

Countries: Nauru, Tuvalu, Palau, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Kiribati, Tonga, Samoa

Mostly former colonies that stayed independent rather than federating. Severe climate vulnerability — sea-level rise threatens habitability.

CAR

Caribbean island nations

Countries: Saint Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Dominica

Mostly gained independence from Britain in the 1960s–80s. Tourism-dominated economies.

NEW

Recent independence

Countries: East Timor (2002), Montenegro (2006), South Sudan (2011)

Plus the seven Yugoslav successor states from the 1990s. Most are not as small as the European microstates but are small relative to neighbors.

Plus unique cases like Singapore (city-state expelled from Malaysia in 1965), Brunei (oil-rich sultanate), Maldives (atoll nation in the Indian Ocean).

Existential Threat: Sea-Level Rise

Five UN member states are atoll nations — countries built on coral reefs with maximum elevations of a few meters. Climate change is a survival issue, not a policy preference.

Tuvalu
Max elevation: 4.6 m
Pop: ~10,000
Kiribati
Max elevation: 3 m
Pop: ~135,000
Maldives
Max elevation: 2.4 m
Pop: ~520,000
Marshall Is.
Max elevation: ~10 m
Pop: ~40,000
Nauru
Max elevation: ~70 m (raised)
Pop: ~12,000

The IPCC projects 0.4–1.0 m sea-level rise by 2100 under medium-emissions scenarios. Tuvalu has begun planning "digital nationhood" — preserving government and culture as digital archives.

Source: IPCC AR6 WG1 (2021); Government of Tuvalu, "Future Now" initiative.

How Small Countries Survive Economically

Small countries can't diversify — they specialize.

Financial services
Monaco, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Bermuda
Among the wealthiest places per capita. International pressure (OECD CRS) has narrowed.
Tourism
Maldives, Barbados, Seychelles, Saint Lucia, Vanuatu
Often the largest source of foreign exchange for island microstates.
Single-resource exports
Brunei (oil), Nauru (phosphates, depleted), Botswana (diamonds), Iceland (fish, geothermal)
Highly vulnerable to commodity swings.
Aid + fishing rights
Tuvalu, Kiribati, Marshall Is., Federated States of Micronesia, Palau
Compact of Free Association with the US for the latter three.
Strategic location
Singapore, Hong Kong, Panama (historically)
Trade and finance hubs that leverage geography.
Special arrangements
Vatican (donations, tourism), Monaco (no income tax, casino, real estate)
Unique to each country, often historical.

Putting Small Sizes in Perspective

0.49 km²
Vatican City
Smaller than NYC&apos;s Central Park (3.41 km²). Hyde Park is 5× larger. Walt Disney World&apos;s Magic Kingdom is 2.4× larger.
2 km²
Monaco
Would fit inside NYC&apos;s Central Park. Houses ~40,000 people on the French Riviera — denser than Manhattan.
21 km²
Nauru
Walkable in a day. Phosphate-mining boom in the 20th century, now largely depleted.
26 km²
Tuvalu
Highest point: 4.6 meters above sea level. Crossable by car in an hour.

All 195 Countries — Smallest to Largest by Area

Source: CIA Factbook (area), UN WPP 2024 (population)
#CountryRegionArea km²Population 2024Density /km²
1Vatican CityEurope0.494961,012
2MonacoEurope238.6K19,321
3NauruOceania2112.0K569.3
4TuvaluOceania269.7K371.2
5San MarinoEurope6133.6K550.7
6LiechtensteinEurope16039.9K249.2
7Marshall IslandsOceania18137.6K207.5
8Saint Kitts and NevisAmericas26146.9K179.5
9MaldivesAsia298527.8K1,771
10MaltaEurope316539.6K1,708
11GrenadaAmericas344117.2K340.8
12Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesAmericas389100.6K258.7
13BarbadosAmericas430282.5K656.9
14Antigua and BarbudaAmericas44293.8K212.1
15SeychellesAfrica459130.4K284.2
16PalauOceania45917.7K38.6
17AndorraEurope46881.9K175.1
18Saint LuciaAmericas616179.8K291.8
19MicronesiaOceania702526.9K750.6
20SingaporeAsia7285.8M8,012
21TongaOceania747104.2K139.5
22DominicaAmericas75066.2K88.3
23BahrainAsia7601.6M2,115
24KiribatiOceania811134.5K165.9
25Sao Tome and PrincipeAfrica964235.5K244.3
26ComorosAfrica1,862866.6K465.4
27MauritiusAfrica2,0401.3M623.1
28LuxembourgEurope2,586673.0K260.3
29SamoaOceania2,842218.0K76.7
30Cabo VerdeAfrica4,033524.9K130.1
31Trinidad and TobagoAmericas5,1301.5M293.9
32BruneiAsia5,765462.7K80.3
33PalestineAsia6,0205.5M912.9
34CyprusAsia9,2511.4M146.8
35LebanonAsia10,4525.8M555.5
36JamaicaAmericas10,9912.8M258.3
37GambiaAfrica11,2952.8M244.4
38QatarAsia11,5863.0M263.1
39VanuatuOceania12,189327.8K26.9
40MontenegroEurope13,812638.5K46.2
41BahamasAmericas13,878401.3K28.9
42Timor-LesteAsia14,8741.4M94.2
43EswatiniAfrica17,3641.2M71.6
44KuwaitAsia17,8184.9M276.9
45FijiOceania18,272928.8K50.8
46SloveniaEurope20,2732.1M104.5
47El SalvadorAmericas21,0416.3M301.2
48IsraelAsia22,0729.4M425.3
49BelizeAmericas22,966417.1K18.2
50DjiboutiAfrica23,2001.2M50.4
51North MacedoniaEurope25,7131.8M70.9
52RwandaAfrica26,33814.3M541.3
53HaitiAmericas27,75011.8M424.2
54BurundiAfrica27,83414.0M504.7
55Equatorial GuineaAfrica28,0511.9M67.5
56AlbaniaEurope28,7482.8M97.1
57Solomon IslandsOceania28,896819.2K28.4
58ArmeniaAsia29,7433.0M100.0
59LesothoAfrica30,3552.3M77.0
60BelgiumEurope30,52811.7M384.5
61MoldovaEurope33,8463.0M89.7
62Guinea-BissauAfrica36,1252.2M60.9
63BhutanAsia38,394791.5K20.6
64SwitzerlandEurope41,2858.9M216.1
65NetherlandsEurope41,85018.2M435.6
66DenmarkEurope43,0946.0M138.7
67EstoniaEurope45,2271.4M30.1
68Dominican RepublicAmericas48,67111.4M234.8
69SlovakiaEurope49,0355.5M112.3
70Costa RicaAmericas51,1005.1M100.4
71Bosnia and HerzegovinaEurope51,2093.2M61.8
72CroatiaEurope56,5943.9M68.5
73TogoAfrica56,7859.5M167.6
74LatviaEurope64,5891.9M29.0
75LithuaniaEurope65,3002.9M43.8
76Sri LankaAsia65,61023.1M352.1
77GeorgiaAsia69,7003.8M54.6
78IrelandEurope70,2735.3M74.8
79Sierra LeoneAfrica71,7408.6M120.5
80PanamaAmericas75,4174.5M59.9
81Czech RepublicEurope78,86510.7M136.1
82United Arab EmiratesAsia83,60011.0M131.9
83AustriaEurope83,8719.1M108.7
84AzerbaijanAsia86,60010.3M119.4
85SerbiaEurope88,3616.7M76.2
86JordanAsia89,34211.6M129.3
87PortugalEurope92,09010.4M113.2
88HungaryEurope93,0289.7M104.0
89South KoreaAsia100,21051.7M516.1
90IcelandEurope103,000393.4K3.8
91GuatemalaAmericas108,88918.4M169.0
92CubaAmericas109,88411.0M99.9
93BulgariaEurope110,8796.8M60.9
94LiberiaAfrica111,3695.6M50.4
95HondurasAmericas112,49210.8M96.2
96BeninAfrica112,62214.5M128.4
97EritreaAfrica117,6003.5M30.1
98MalawiAfrica118,48421.7M182.8
99North KoreaAsia120,53826.5M219.8
100NicaraguaAmericas130,3736.9M53.0
101GreeceEurope131,95710.0M76.1
102TajikistanAsia143,10010.6M74.0
103NepalAsia147,18129.7M201.5
104BangladeshAsia148,460173.6M1,169
105TunisiaAfrica163,61012.3M75.0
106SurinameAmericas163,820634.4K3.9
107UruguayAmericas176,2153.4M19.2
108CambodiaAsia181,03517.6M97.4
109SyriaAsia185,18024.7M133.2
110SenegalAfrica196,72218.5M94.1
111KyrgyzstanAsia199,9517.2M35.9
112BelarusEurope207,6009.1M43.6
113GuyanaAmericas214,969831.1K3.9
114LaosAsia236,8007.8M32.8
115RomaniaEurope238,39719.0M79.8
116GhanaAfrica238,53334.4M144.3
117UgandaAfrica241,03850.0M207.5
118United KingdomEurope243,61069.1M283.8
119GuineaAfrica245,85714.8M60.0
120GabonAfrica267,6682.5M9.5
121New ZealandOceania270,4675.2M19.3
122Burkina FasoAfrica272,96723.5M86.3
123EcuadorAmericas283,56118.1M64.0
124PhilippinesAsia300,000115.8M386.1
125ItalyEurope301,34059.3M196.9
126OmanAsia309,5005.3M17.1
127PolandEurope312,69638.5M123.2
128Côte d'IvoireAfrica322,46331.9M99.0
129MalaysiaAsia330,80335.6M107.5
130VietnamAsia331,212101.0M304.9
131FinlandEurope338,4245.6M16.6
132CongoAfrica342,0006.3M18.5
133GermanyEurope357,11484.6M236.8
134JapanAsia377,975123.8M327.4
135NorwayEurope385,2075.6M14.5
136ZimbabweAfrica390,75716.6M42.6
137ParaguayAmericas406,7526.9M17.0
138IraqAsia438,31746.0M105.0
139MoroccoAfrica446,55038.1M85.3
140UzbekistanAsia447,40036.4M81.3
141SwedenEurope450,29510.6M23.6
142Papua New GuineaOceania462,84010.6M22.9
143CameroonAfrica475,44229.1M61.3
144TurkmenistanAsia488,1007.5M15.4
145SpainEurope505,99247.9M94.7
146ThailandAsia513,12071.7M139.7
147YemenAsia527,96840.6M76.9
148KenyaAfrica580,36756.4M97.2
149BotswanaAfrica581,7302.5M4.3
150MadagascarAfrica587,04132.0M54.5
151UkraineEurope603,62837.9M62.7
152South SudanAfrica619,74511.9M19.3
153Central African RepublicAfrica622,9845.3M8.6
154SomaliaAfrica637,65719.0M29.8
155FranceEurope643,80166.5M103.4
156AfghanistanAsia652,23042.6M65.4
157MyanmarAsia676,57854.5M80.6
158ZambiaAfrica752,61821.3M28.3
159ChileAmericas756,10219.8M26.1
160TurkeyAsia783,56287.5M111.6
161MozambiqueAfrica801,59034.6M43.2
162NamibiaAfrica825,6153.0M3.7
163PakistanAsia881,913251.3M284.9
164VenezuelaAmericas916,44528.4M31.0
165NigeriaAfrica923,768232.7M251.9
166TanzaniaAfrica945,08768.6M72.5
167EgyptAfrica1,001,450116.5M116.4
168MauritaniaAfrica1,030,7005.2M5.0
169BoliviaAmericas1,098,58112.4M11.3
170EthiopiaAfrica1,104,300132.1M119.6
171ColombiaAmericas1,141,74852.9M46.3
172South AfricaAfrica1,221,03764.0M52.4
173MaliAfrica1,240,19224.5M19.7
174AngolaAfrica1,246,70037.9M30.4
175NigerAfrica1,267,00027.0M21.3
176ChadAfrica1,284,00020.3M15.8
177PeruAmericas1,285,21634.2M26.6
178MongoliaAsia1,564,1103.5M2.2
179IranAsia1,648,19591.6M55.6
180LibyaAfrica1,759,5407.4M4.2
181SudanAfrica1,861,48450.4M27.1
182IndonesiaAsia1,904,569283.5M148.8
183MexicoAmericas1,964,375130.9M66.6
184Saudi ArabiaAsia2,149,69034.0M15.8
185Democratic Republic of the CongoAfrica2,344,858109.3M46.6
186AlgeriaAfrica2,381,74146.8M19.7
187KazakhstanAsia2,724,90020.6M7.6
188ArgentinaAmericas2,780,40045.7M16.4
189IndiaAsia3,287,2631.45B441.4
190AustraliaOceania7,692,02426.7M3.5
191BrazilAmericas8,515,767212.0M24.9
192ChinaAsia9,596,9611.42B147.9
193United StatesAmericas9,833,517345.4M35.1
194CanadaAmericas9,984,67039.7M4.0
195RussiaEurope17,098,242144.8M8.5

Microstate Glossary

Microstate
Sovereign country with very small area (<1,000 km²) or population (<1M). No single official definition.
City-state
A sovereign country consisting of a single city. Singapore, Monaco, Vatican City.
Enclave
A territory entirely surrounded by another country. Vatican (in Italy), San Marino (in Italy), Lesotho (in South Africa).
Atoll
A ring-shaped coral reef enclosing a lagoon. Tuvalu, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Kiribati are atoll nations.
SIDS
Small Island Developing States — UN designation for small islands with similar challenges, especially climate.
Compact of Free Association
US treaty with Marshall Is., FSM, Palau providing budget support + US access in exchange for strategic rights.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the smallest country in the world?

Vatican City at 0.49 km² and ~500 people — smaller than Central Park.

What are the 10 smallest countries by area?

1. Vatican City (0.49 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 (298 km²), 10. Malta (316 km²).

What is the smallest country by population?

Vatican City at ~496 people.

Is Monaco smaller than Vatican City?

No. Vatican is smaller (0.49 vs 2 km²). But Monaco has ~40,000 people (vs ~500) — the world's most densely populated country.

How many microstates exist?

10–15 depending on definition.

Why do small countries exist?

Papal territory (Vatican), royal protectorates (Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Andorra), post-colonial islands, recent independence.

Are they UN members?

11 of the 12 smallest are full UN members. Vatican is permanent observer.

How do small countries survive?

Specialization: financial services, tourism, single-resource exports, aid, strategic location.

Climate change threat?

Atoll nations (Tuvalu, Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Is.) face existential risk from sea-level rise.

Why is Monaco so densely populated?

40,000 people in 2 km² — favorable tax, climate, security attract wealthy residents.

Microstate vs city-state?

Microstate = small country. City-state = single-city country. Vatican and Monaco are both.

Are tax havens here?

Several: Monaco, Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Bahamas, Cayman Is., Bermuda, Marshall Is., Vanuatu.

What about Sealand and other micronations?

Not UN-recognized — not included. Only 195 UN-recognized states here.

Where does the data come from?

Area: CIA Factbook. Population: UN WPP 2024. Vatican: figures from the Holy See.

When was this updated?

2026-05-22.

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Sources & Further Reading