The world’s largest countries by population have been in the news a great deal recently. Russia, the ninth largest country in the world, with a population of about 145 million, attacked Ukraine, the 35th largest with 43 million residents. (These are the 25 largest countries in the world.)
What about the smallest countries? Many of the smallest countries have populations of small cities, even towns. The smallest country is the Holy See, with a population of under 1,000.
By contrast, China, the world’s largest country, has a population of 1.4 billion. China has largely kept quiet about the war in Ukraine. It is presumed it will continue to be an ally of Russia. India, with a population of nearly 1.4 billion, is the world’s second largest country by population, and it has stayed on the sidelines, not issuing sanctions as many other countries have. The United States, leading the world’s efforts to blunt Russia’s attack, ranks third by population at 331 million.
According to the United Nations Population Division, as published by Worldometers, of the 235 nations in the world with available population day, 14 have populations of over 100 million. Twenty-nine have populations of over 50 million, and 91 have populations of over 10 million. There is no particular pattern to where they are located, especially when it comes to the 10 largest countries in the world. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed Worldometers’ list to find the 25 smallest countries by population in the world. All other data came from Worldometers.
The smallest country in the world is the Holy See, home of the Vatican. It has a population of 821. It is also home to the Pope, who presides over the Catholic religion, which has 1.34 billion members around the world. The country was founded in 1929. Unlike the world’s largest country, Pope Francis has denounced Russia’s war in Ukraine, calling it “perverse abuse of power.”
Also known as Vatican City, it covers about 1 square mile, which ranks it 257th in the world. It is entirely surrounded by Italy. The CIA’s World Factbook describes Vatican City’s government as an “ecclesiastical elective monarchy; self-described as an ‘absolute monarchy.'” While most of its economy is supported by the Catholic Church, it gets a small amount of revenue from the sales of coins and medals. It also has its own banking system, which contributes a modest amount to the economy as well.
While Italy provides the defense to the Holy See, the country has a small police force of its own, known as the Pontifical Swiss Guard Corps. Interestingly, its workforce of 4,822 is larger than the country’s population. (Also read about the poorest countries in the world.)
Click here to see which country has the fewest residents in the world
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25. Northern Mariana Islands
> 2020 population 56,882
> Land area: 179.2 square miles
> Sovereignty: United States
> Comparably populated U.S. city: South Hill, Washington
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24. Greenland
> 2020 population 567,701
> Land area: 836.3 square miles
> Sovereignty: Kingdom of Denmark
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Hoboken, New Jersey
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23. Saint Kitts and Nevis
> 2020 population 53,332
> Land area: 100.8 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Anderson, Indiana
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22. Faroe Islands
> 2020 population 48,863
> Land area: 537.8 square miles
> Sovereignty: Kingdom of Denmark
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
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21. Sint Maarten
> 2020 population 43,045
> Land area: 5.0 square miles
> Sovereignty: Kingdom of the Netherlands
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Sherman, Texas
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20. Monaco
> 2020 population 39,340
> Land area: 0.8 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Hurst, Texas
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19. Turks and Caicos Islands
> 2020 population 38,901
> Land area: 336.0 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Richmond West, Florida
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18. Liechtenstein
> 2020 population 38,167
> Land area: 61.9 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Gainesville, Georgia
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17. San Marino
> 2020 population 33,785
> Land area: 23.6 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Mount Vernon, Washington
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16. Gibraltar
> 2020 population 33,687
> Land area: 2.3 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Huntington Station, New York
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15. British Virgin Islands
> 2020 population 30,303
> Land area: 58.3 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Lakeside, Florida
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14. Caribbean Netherlands
> 2020 population 26,310
> Land area: 126.7 square miles
> Sovereignty: Kingdom of the Netherlands
> Comparably populated U.S. city: South Portland, Maine
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13. Palau
> 2020 population 18,122
> Land area: 177.2 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Geneva, Illinois
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12. Cook Islands
> 2020 population 18,000
> Land area: 91.1 square miles
> Sovereignty: New Zealand
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Mattoon, Illinois
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11. Anguilla
> 2020 population 15,050
> Land area: 35.1 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Stanford, California
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10. Tuvalu
> 2020 population 12,000
> Land area: 10.0 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Coshocton, Ohio
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9. Wallis and Futuna Islands
> 2020 population 11,773
> Land area: 77.2 square miles
> Sovereignty: France
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Citrus, California
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8. Nauru
> 2020 population 10,824
> Land area: 8.1 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Gloucester, New Jersey
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7. Saint Helena
> 2020 population 6,000
> Land area: 118.9 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Boyertown, Pennsylvania
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6. Saint Pierre and Miquelon
> 2020 population 6,000
> Land area: 94.4 square miles
> Sovereignty: France
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Sealy, Texas
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5. Montserrat
> 2020 population 5,373
> Land area: 39.4 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Pea Ridge, Arkansas
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4. Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
> 2020 population 3,000
> Land area: 4700.0 square miles
> Sovereignty: United Kingdom
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Castoville, Texas
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3. Niue
> 2020 population 1,630
> Land area: 100.4 square miles
> Sovereignty: New Zealand
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Crystal Falls, Michigan
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2. Tokelau
> 2020 population 1,600
> Land area: 4.6 square miles
> Sovereignty: New Zealand
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Manhattan, Montana
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1. Holy See (Vatican City)
> 2020 population 1,000
> Land area: 0.2 square miles
> Sovereignty: Sovereign
> Comparably populated U.S. city: Shalimar, Florida
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