Vatican City holds the title as the world's smallest country, with an area of just 0.17 square mile (0.44 square km). As a point of comparison, the largest country in the world, Russia, is almost 39 million times bigger.
The smallest state in the world is located in the middle of Rome: Vatican City, also known simply as "the Vatican". The 0.44 square kilometer city-state is governed by the Pope as spiritual and temporal head - making it an absolute monarchy.
Russia is the largest country in the world by far, with a total area of just over 17 million square kilometers. After Antarctica, the next three countries are Canada, the U.S., and China; all between 9.5 and 10 million square kilometers.
The spiritual and administrative centre of the Catholic Church, Vatican City is the least populated country in the world. Nestled within Rome, it has an estimated population of around 800 residents.
In 2025, India overtook China as the world's most populous country and now has almost 1.46 billion people. China now has the second-largest population in the world, still with just over 1.4 billion inhabitants, however, its population went into decline in 2023.
Advice from a 79-year-old who has been to all 193 countries Luisa Yu spent the past five decades plotting to see all 193 U.N.-recognized countries. To realize her dream, she faced numerous visa hurdles and, later in life, made a career change.
1. Greenland. Greenland has a population density of 0.14 people per square kilometre (0.36 people per square mile) and is the least densely populated country in the world. Just under 57,000 people live in a 2.2 million square kilometre space.
India covers an area of 32,87,263 sq. km, extending from the snow-covered Himalayan heights to the tropical rain forests of the south. As the 7th largest country in the world, India stands apart from the rest of Asia, marked off as it is by mountains and the sea, which give the country a distinct geographical entity.
The Vatican City is known as the Smallest Country in the World with a total area of 0.49Km² (0.19 mi²), also the Smallest Country in context of the population which is only 825 citizens. It's located in the Italian city, Rome and is the centre of the Catholic Church.
From the dynamic landscapes and cultural heritage of Zambia and Zimbabwe to the historical significance of former nations like Zaire and Zululand, these countries hold special tales and traditions.
1. South Sudan. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after years of civil war, but violence continues to ravage the world's newest country. Civil War erupted in South Sudan in 2013 and continues today, as political leaders from different ethnic groups vie for power.
For more than 30 years, France has held the top spot as the most visited country globally, reaching the 100-million-visitor milestone for the second consecutive year with 102 million arrivals in 2024 and accounting for 7% of the global tourism market.
The United States is richer by total economic output (GDP) and significantly richer per person (GDP per capita), though China's economy is the world's second-largest and growing faster, making it a significant economic powerhouse. The U.S. leads in overall GDP and wealth per person, while China's large population means lower per capita wealth despite its massive total output, with projections suggesting a slower convergence than previously thought due to U.S. strength and Chinese challenges like debt and demographics.
The pyramid shows that: half of the world's net wealth belongs to the top 1%, top 10% of adults hold 85%, while the bottom 90% hold the remaining 15% of the world's total wealth, top 30% of adults hold 97% of the total wealth.
In the mid-1990s, after Russia's transformational recession had bottomed out, China's per capita GDP (at purchasing power parity) was slightly more than 20 percent of Russian levels. In 2018, it had reached more than 60 percent.
