Least developed countries: UN classification: Surface area (sq. km)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Least developed countries: UN classification's surface area (sq. km) rose 0% on 2022 (from 20.77 million to 20.77 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +0% and a typical year strayed about 0% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.2% in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 0% in 2014. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.

Limitations: The data are collected by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations through annual questionnaires. The FAO tries to impose standard definitions and reporting methods, but complete consistency across countries and over time is not possible. The data collected from official national sources through the questionnaire are supplemented with information from official secondary data sources. The secondary sources cover official country data from websites of national ministries, national publications and related country data reported by various international organizations.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 63 values

Surface area (sq. km) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 652,870 (2024)
• Algeria — 2.38 million (2024)
• Bahrain — 800 (2024)
• Djibouti — 23,200 (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 1 million (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 1.75 million (2024)
• Iraq — 435,050 (2024)
• Israel — 22,070 (2024)
• Jordan — 89,318 (2024)
• Kuwait — 17,820 (2024)
• Lebanon — 10,452 (2024)
• Libya — 1.76 million (2024)

More environment data for Least developed countries: UN classification

• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 32.86% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 13.73% (2025)
• Rural population — 769.36 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 63.36% (2025)
• Urban population — 444.81 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 36.64% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 5.26 million (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Least developed countries: UN classification's surface area (sq. km)?

20.77 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1961?

It is up 0.26% from 20.72 million in 1961. The highest value was 20.78 million in 2012 and the lowest 20.72 million in 1961.

Is the latest change in surface area (sq. km) unusual for Least developed countries: UN classification?

In 2023, Least developed countries: UN classification's surface area (sq. km) rose 0% on 2022 (from 20.77 million to 20.77 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +0% and a typical year strayed about 0% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator AG.SRF.TOTL.K2, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.