20 Smallest Countries in the World at a Glance

At only 0.17 square miles, Vatican City tops the list of the smallest countries in the world. Its official name is Vatican City State, and it is also referred to as the Holy See. While you may think of Vatican City State as being part of Rome, it is actually a sovereign nation.

Vatican City State is the same size as four average city blocks. In fact, it’s over 7,000 times smaller than the smallest U.S. State, Rhode Island! The 20 smallest countries by area include independent city-states located in landlocked enclaves, islands in the Caribbean, independent republics in the continent of Oceania, and other locations around the world.

Some of the smallest countries by area also have the smallest populations. For example, just over 800 people live in Vatican City, making it the smallest city by both area and population.

However, many countries with small populations have large areas because much of the country’s territory is uninhabitable. While birth rates, immigration and other demographic changes can change a country’s population, these 20 countries generally have the lowest populations in the world.

These countries may be small, but they’re not short on interesting facts! Learn more about the smallest countries in the world.

• There are only three city-states (cities that are also independent states or nations) left in the world: Vatican City, Monaco and Singapore.

• While city-states are their own capital cities, Nauru doesn’t have a capital city at all.

• Vatican City State is the spiritual head of the Roman Catholic Church, and its government type is an ecclesiastical elective monarchy (with the Pope as its monarch).

• Abraham Lincoln was an honorary citizen of San Marino.

• At 68,212 people per square mile, Monaco is the most densely populated country in the world.

• Many small countries have the highest GDPs (Gross Domestic Product) per capita in the world, including Monaco, Liechtenstein and Bermuda.

• The Maldives, which include nearly 1,200 islands in the Indian Ocean, has the lowest average elevation of any country in the world (6 feet above sea level).

• Seychelles was a famous hideout for pirates (and possibly still contains buried treasure).

Whether you’re planning to travel to these tiny areas or you’re curious about the people who live there, understanding the range of countries around the world can be helpful and educational. Now that you’ve seen the smallest countries in the world, check out a list of the largest cities in the world. Many of them are as large (or larger) than entire countries!