The least densely populated countries are Mongolia (about 2 people per km²), Namibia (3/km²), Australia (3/km²), Iceland (4/km²) and Suriname (4/km²). These nations combine enormous territory with small populations, usually because deserts, ice, dense rainforest or steppe leave most of their land nearly empty.
Introduction
Population density measures how many people live in a given area, expressed as people per square kilometre (or per square mile). It is calculated by dividing a country's total population by its land area. The least densely populated countries on Earth are remarkable not because they have few people in total, but because those people are spread across vast landscapes — steppe, desert, glacier and jungle that humans struggle to settle. This guide ranks the world's emptiest nations and explains why each one is so sparsely inhabited.
The Complete Ranking
The list below ranks sovereign nations from the least densely populated upward. Densities are rounded to whole numbers and based on widely cited population and land-area figures; small year-to-year shifts will not change the overall order.
1. Mongolia — about 2 people per km²
Mongolia is the least densely populated country in the world, with roughly 2 people per square kilometre spread across its vast 1.56 million km² territory. Nearly half of Mongolia's 3.3 million people live in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, leaving the countryside extraordinarily empty. Nomadic herders living in gers (yurts) move with their livestock across the open steppe, and travellers can drive for hours without seeing another person or settlement.
2. Namibia — about 3 people per km²
Namibia has roughly 3 people per square kilometre, with most of its 2.6 million residents concentrated in the wetter north and in the capital, Windhoek. The Namib Desert runs the length of the Atlantic coast while the Kalahari spreads across the east, and both are almost uninhabited. Namibia's Skeleton Coast is one of the emptiest stretches of shoreline anywhere on the planet.
3. Australia — about 3 people per km²
Australia averages around 3 people per square kilometre, but the number is misleading: roughly 85% of Australians live within 50 km of the coast, leaving the interior "Outback" virtually empty. Some cattle stations are larger than small European countries, and the state of Western Australia has a density of just about 1 person per km².
4. Iceland — about 4 people per km²
Iceland has around 4 people per square kilometre, with about two-thirds of its 380,000 residents clustered in the greater Reykjavik area. The interior highlands are essentially uninhabited — a volcanic wilderness of glaciers, lava fields and geothermal valleys that forms one of Europe's last great empty spaces.
5. Suriname — about 4 people per km²
Suriname has roughly 4 people per square kilometre. More than 90% of the country is blanketed by Amazon rainforest, and most of the 600,000 population lives along a narrow coastal strip. The interior is home to Indigenous Amerindian communities and Maroon villages founded by descendants of escaped enslaved Africans.
6. Botswana — about 4 people per km²
Botswana has about 4 people per square kilometre, with the Kalahari Desert covering roughly 70% of the country. The Okavango Delta in the northwest is a jewel of biodiversity. Despite its sparse population, Botswana is one of Africa's most stable and prosperous nations, thanks largely to diamond mining.
7. Guyana — about 4 people per km²
Guyana has approximately 4 people per square kilometre. As in neighbouring Suriname, almost all of its 800,000 people live along the coastal plain, while the vast interior of rainforest and savanna remains largely uninhabited.
8. Libya — about 4 people per km²
Libya has around 4 people per square kilometre, with the Sahara Desert covering about 90% of its territory. Nearly all of the country's 7 million people live along the thin Mediterranean coastal strip, concentrated in Tripoli and Benghazi.
9. Canada — about 4 people per km²
Canada has roughly 4 people per square kilometre across its enormous 10 million km² — the world's second-largest country by area. About 90% of Canadians live within 100 km of the US border, leaving the north among the most sparsely inhabited regions on Earth. The territory of Nunavut has a density of just 0.02 people per km².
10. Mauritania — about 5 people per km²
Mauritania has roughly 5 people per square kilometre, with the Sahara covering most of the country. The capital, Nouakchott, has grown from a small village to more than a million people since independence in 1960, as recurring droughts have pushed nomads to settle.
11. Kazakhstan — about 7 people per km²
Kazakhstan has about 7 people per square kilometre across Central Asia's largest country. Its vast steppe supports nomadic traditions similar to Mongolia's. The capital, Astana, was largely built from scratch on the open steppe after the government relocated it there in 1997.
12. Russia — about 9 people per km²
Russia averages around 9 people per square kilometre across its 17.1 million km² — the largest country on Earth. Most Russians live in the European west, while immense stretches of Siberia and the Far East are nearly empty. The region around Yakutsk, the coldest major city in the world, has a density of about 0.3 people per km².
Why These Countries Are So Empty
The least densely populated countries share a few clear causes for their sparse populations:
- Hostile climates: Deserts (the Sahara in Libya and Mauritania, the Kalahari in Botswana and Namibia), Arctic cold (Canada, Russia) and dense rainforest (Suriname, Guyana) make most land unsuitable for dense settlement.
- Huge land areas: Russia, Canada, Australia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia rank among the largest countries on Earth, so even sizeable populations are thinly spread.
- Concentrated habitable zones: People cluster where conditions allow — Australia's coasts, Canada's southern border, Mauritania's capital, Iceland's southwest — leaving the rest nearly vacant.
- Cultural and economic factors: Nomadic herding traditions in Mongolia and Kazakhstan favour dispersed living, while resource economies draw people to a handful of towns.
Density vs. Total Population
It is important not to confuse low density with a small population. Russia has more than 140 million people yet ranks among the sparsest because of its sheer size. Canada and Australia each hold tens of millions of residents. By contrast, a small island nation can have a tiny total population but a very high density. Density describes how concentrated people are within a land area, not how many people a country has overall — which is why these national averages can hide dramatic internal extremes.
Key Facts
- Least dense country: Mongolia, about 2 people per km²
- Most dense country: Monaco, about 26,150 people per km²
- Largest by area on the list: Russia, 17.1 million km²
- Common geography: Desert, Arctic tundra, steppe or rainforest
- Emptiest single region: Canada's Nunavut, about 0.02 people per km²
- Most misleading average: Australia, where 85% of people live near the coast
- Comparison points: Singapore (about 8,358/km²) and Bahrain (about 2,239/km²) sit at the opposite extreme
Final Thoughts
Mongolia's extraordinary emptiness — just 2 people per square kilometre — reflects a harsh continental climate, endless steppe and a nomadic culture that favours dispersed living. The other least densely populated countries follow the same pattern: large territories, difficult environments and populations squeezed into small habitable corners. This sparseness brings real challenges, such as the high cost of delivering healthcare, schooling and infrastructure to remote communities. It also brings opportunities, from vast wilderness conservation to tourism and resource development in places few humans ever see.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has the lowest population density?
Mongolia has the lowest population density of any sovereign country, at roughly 2 people per square kilometre. Almost half its population lives in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, leaving the vast steppe nearly empty.
How is population density calculated?
Population density is found by dividing a country's total population by its land area, giving a figure of people per square kilometre (or per square mile). It is an average, so it can hide major differences between crowded cities and empty interiors.
Why does Australia have such low density despite many cities?
Australia is one of the world's largest countries, but its interior is mostly arid Outback. About 85% of Australians live within 50 km of the coast, so the national average of around 3 people per km² masks dense coastal cities surrounded by nearly empty land.
Is low population density a good or bad thing?
It is neither inherently good nor bad. Sparse populations make services like healthcare, education and transport expensive to provide per person, but they also leave room for wilderness, conservation and resource industries. The effect depends heavily on each country's economy and geography.
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