Countries by Population Density

What Population Density (People/km2) Measures

Population Density (People/km2) is a comparative indicator tracked across countries by the World Bank. It provides a quantitative basis for cross-national comparison, enabling researchers and policymakers to benchmark national performance on this dimension against global peers.

Why This Ranking Matters

Examining Population Density (People/km2) across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.

Global Range

Values range from 0.14 (Greenland) to 20.6K (Macao) — a 148.5K-fold difference across 215 countries.

Regional Patterns

Asian countries lead with 8 entries in the top 20, though representation spans multiple continents. Regional factors clearly play a role, but outliers from other parts of the world show that national policy and geography matter as much as continental trends.

The distribution is highly right-skewed — a few countries have exceptionally high values that pull the average well above the median. The median (95.268) is far more representative than the mean (453.713).

Notable Outliers

The top of the ranking is competitive: Macao and Monaco are separated by only 10%, indicating that the leading positions could shift with updated data.

Continental Leaders

Asia

Macao

20.6K

Europe

Monaco

18.7K

North America

Sint Maarten

1.3K

Africa

Mauritius

625.261

Oceania

Nauru

593.75

South America

Ecuador

72.395