Metric guide
Population density by country: people relative to land.
Population density is the bridge between population and land area. It tells you how many people live per square kilometre, which can reveal countries that are small on the map but intense in settlement.
Density is not additive. Compare Countries therefore uses a gradient map, not a group-total bar, when this metric is selected.
Top countries in the current snapshot
Density rankings highlight concentration, not total population. Small territories can rank very high, while large countries with major cities may look modest at the national-average level.
| Rank | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macau | 20,570 people/km² | 2023 |
| 2 | Monaco | 18,693 people/km² | 2023 |
| 3 | Singapore | 8,242 people/km² | 2023 |
| 4 | Hong Kong | 7,177 people/km² | 2023 |
| 5 | Bahrain | 1,971 people/km² | 2023 |
| 6 | Maldives | 1,765 people/km² | 2023 |
| 7 | Malta | 1,727 people/km² | 2023 |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 1,319 people/km² | 2023 |
| 9 | Sint Maarten | 1,257 people/km² | 2023 |
| 10 | Bermuda | 1,198 people/km² | 2023 |
| 11 | Barbados | 657 people/km² | 2023 |
| 12 | Mauritius | 625 people/km² | 2023 |
What this metric is useful for
- Find countries where population is concentrated relative to land area.
- Compare density alongside total population to avoid confusing scale with crowding.
- Use the full-map gradient to scan broad regional patterns.
Things to keep in mind
- National density can hide huge internal variation between cities, deserts, mountains and rural areas.
- Countries with very small land areas can appear high in the ranking.
- Density should not be summed across a group.
Open this metric on the map
Open the live map with Population density selected. You can then click countries, search for groups, drag countries between comparison groups, or switch to a related metric without losing the context of the map.
Source and coverage
Source: World Development Indicators. Coverage in this snapshot: 208 countries out of 242. Reference year: 2023.
Economic, demographic, industrial, defence, water and health indicators. Reuse note: WDI data is generally CC BY 4.0 and commercial use is allowed, but individual indicator metadata can identify third-party content with different terms.