If you are asked which are the largest countries in the world? Then your answer will be Russia or China. But very few people know about the smallest countries in the world. Do you know which is the smallest country in the world? Vatican City is recognized as the smallest country in the world, its area is less than one square kilometre and the population is also only 764. Here is the list of top 10 smallest countries in the world in 2024 by area.
Malta is a small Southern European island country composed of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located 80 km south of Italy, 284 km east of Tunisia, and 333 km north of Libya.
With a population of approximately 519,562 in an area of 316 km, Malta is the tenth smallest country in the world by area and the fourth most densely populated sovereign country.
Moreover, its capital is Valletta, which is the smallest national capital in the European Union by area at 0.61 km (0.24 sq mi).
The official and national language is Maltese, derived from Sicilian Arabic that developed during the Emirate of Sicily, while English serves as the second official language.
The Maldives is a small archipelago country in the Indian subcontinent of Asia, located in the Indian Ocean. It is located about 750 km from the mainland of the Asian continent, southwest of Sri Lanka and India.
The land area of all the islands covers 300 square kilometres, while the area including the sea covers about 90,000 square kilometres. Additionally, the Maldives is one of the top 10 smallest countries in the world by area in 2024, also being the smallest Asian country.
Also, one of the smallest Muslim countries by land area and with about 557,751 inhabitants, it is the second least populous country in Asia. Malé is the capital and most populous city, traditionally called the “King’s Island”.
08. Saint Kitts and Nevis – 101 sq mi
Image: Worldatlas.com
Population: 47,195
Area: 261 km2 (101 sq mi)
Saint Kitts and Nevis is a country located in the eastern Caribbean Sea, consisting of two islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis. As of 2024, it is the eighth smallest country in the world with an area of 261 square kilometres. In 2019, approximately 1.2 million tourists visited Saint Kitts and Nevis. Thus, tourism is a major driver of the country’s economy.
The country is a Commonwealth realm, with Queen and Elizabeth II as heads of state. It is the only sovereign union in the Caribbean. Additionally, the population of Saint Kitts and Nevis is approximately 47,195 and has declined over the years.
Also, it had 42,600 inhabitants at the end of the nineteenth century, which gradually increased to a little over 50,000 by the middle of the twentieth century. About three-quarters of the population lives in Saint Kitts, of which 15,500 live in the capital, Basseterre.
The 7th smallest country in the world is the Marshall Islands, located in the Micronesia region of the Pacific Ocean. It is an independent island country, located slightly west of the International Date Line.
The country’s population of 42,418 people is spread across five islands and 29 coral atolls, which consist of 1,156 separate islands and islets. The capital and largest city is Majuro. Additionally, the islands share maritime borders with Wake Island to the north, Kiribati to the southeast, Nauru to the south, and the Federated States of Micronesia to the west.
About 52.3% of Marshall Islands people live in Majuro. In 2016, 73.3% of the population was defined as “urban”. The United Nations also indicates a population density of 760 inhabitants per square mile.
Liechtenstein is a small German-speaking country located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. It is a constitutional monarchy headed by the Prince of Liechtenstein. About 40,023 people live in the country. The total land area of Liechtenstein is about 62 square miles. It ranks 6th in the top 10 smallest countries in the world by area.
Also, Liechtenstein is the fourth smallest country in Europe by population, with fewer residents than Vatican City, San Marino, and Monaco. Liechtenstein is the least visited country in Europe.
Its population is primarily Alemannic-speaking, although one-third is foreign-born, mainly German-speaking people from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, others being Swiss, Italians, and Turks. Foreign-born people make up two-thirds of the country’s workforce.
San Marino is the fifth smallest country in the world in 2024, with an area of 61 square kilometres. It is a small country (and a European microstate) surrounded by Italy in Southern Europe.
Located in the northeastern part of the Apennine Mountains, San Marino covers a land area of just over 61 square kilometres. It has a population of 33,916 people which is the sixth smallest.
Also, the country is named after Saint Marinus, a stonemason from the then Roman island of Rab in present-day Croatia.
The country’s economy is mainly based on finance, industry, services, and tourism. Also, it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world in GDP per capita, which is comparable to most developed European regions.
04. Tuvalu – 10 sq mi
Image: Southpacificislands.travel
Population: 10,679
Area: 26 km2 (10 sq mi)
The fourth smallest country in the world is a remote island nation in the South Pacific known as Tuvalu. Its islands are located between Hawaii and Australia. Tuvalu is made up of three reef islands and six atolls.
They are located west of the International Date Line. The total population of Tuvalu is 10,679, and the total area of the Tuvalu Islands is 26 square kilometres. They are located west of the International Date Line.
Additionally, Tuvalu has a nominal GDP of $45 million. According to well-established theories about the migration of Polynesians to the Pacific about three thousand years ago, the first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesians.
03. Nauru – 8.1 sq mi
Image: Sterlingandwilson.com
Population: 11,680
Area: 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi)
Nauru is a small island country and microstate in Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. It ranks third in the top 10 smallest countries in the world. Its closest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, 300 km to the east.
With an area of only 21 square kilometres, Nauru is the third smallest country in the world in 2024, after Vatican City and Monaco, making it the smallest republic as well as the smallest island nation.
Nauru is considered the most obese country in the world, with an estimated 61% of the country’s population suffering from obesity. Furthermore, eighty-eight percent of Nauru’s small population is ethnically Nauruan, 26 percent are other Pacific Islanders, 8 percent are European, and 8 percent are Han Chinese.
Monaco is a small sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera, a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Liguria in Western Europe. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea on one side and France to the north, east and west. Monaco has an area of just 2.02 square kilometres making it the second smallest country in the world in 2024.
Moreover, Monaco is widely recognised for being one of the most expensive and richest places in the world. Its official language is French. In addition, Monegasque, Italian and English are spoken and understood by many residents.
Citizens of Monaco, whether born in the country or naturalised, are called Monegasque. Monaco has one of the world’s highest life expectancies at around 90 years.
The Holy See (Vatican City), the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, is the smallest country in the world as of 2024. Its total area is just 0.49 square kilometres. Also, it is the least populated country in the world, with a population of only 764 people.
Moreover, most of them are priests and nuns from different parts of the world. Vatican City is under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope, which includes the jurisdiction of the Universal Church of the Catholic Church around the world as well as the Apostolic Episcopal See of the Diocese of Rome.
The Holy See is surrounded by the city of Rome, the capital of Italy. However, despite its small size, the Holy See is a fairly prosperous country. Tourism also brings a lot of revenue to the small country. The capital of the country is Vatican City and the assets of the Vatican Bank are approximately $8 billion.
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Hi, Here is the list of top 10 smallest country in the world.
I am impressed, I have to say. Really rarely do I discovered a blog that is both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, youve hit the nail on the head. Your article is outstanding; the issue is something that not many people are speaking intelligently about. Im very happy that I stumbled across this in my search for something relating to this.
Hi, Here is the list of top 10 smallest country in the world.
I am impressed, I have to say. Really rarely do I discovered a blog that is both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, youve hit the nail on the head. Your article is outstanding; the issue is something that not many people are speaking intelligently about. Im very happy that I stumbled across this in my search for something relating to this.