Least Densely Populated Countries
Least Densely Populated Countries: the dated top ten, the source and what this people per square kilometre of land, ascending comparison tells us.
In this 2024 source snapshot, Mongolia has the lowest reported value among eligible entries: 2.26. Australia follows at 3.54. The unit is people per square kilometre of land, ascending.
About the data
Snapshot retrieved 14 October 2026. 197 eligible observations. Among supported countries and separately reported territories with data. Missing observations are excluded, not treated as zero. Rankings use unrounded values; displayed values are rounded to two decimals.
| Country | Value |
|---|---|
| Mongolia | 2.26 |
| Australia | 3.54 |
| Namibia | 3.68 |
| Iceland | 3.83 |
| Guyana | 3.94 |
| Suriname | 3.95 |
| Libya | 4.19 |
| Botswana | 4.45 |
| Canada | 4.69 |
| Mauritania | 5.02 |
What the numbers mean
A low national density does not mean that every settlement is isolated. Much of a country's population can be concentrated in a few cities while vast areas have few residents. The land-area denominator matters, and inland water is excluded. The ranking runs from the smallest density upward.
Where the top ten ends
The tenth entry is Mauritania at 5.02. This is a cutoff within the published comparison, not evidence that countries outside the table have no activity. The date and coverage are part of the answer: updating the source or changing the eligible territories can change who appears.
Source and method
Snapshot retrieved 14 October 2026. 197 eligible observations. Among supported countries and separately reported territories with data. Missing observations are excluded, not treated as zero. Rankings use unrounded values; displayed values are rounded to two decimals.
Source: World Bank