Explore the comprehensive ranking of world's 100 least populated countries updated for 2026. This detailed database features population statistics from Vatican City and small island nations (with populations under 100,000) to moderately populated countries, providing accurate demographic data, continental distribution, and world population share percentages. Essential resource for analysts, planners, researchers, and anyone interested in demographic patterns of micro-nations and small territories.
Understanding smallest population countries helps analyze demographic challenges, sustainable development, population density patterns, resource management, and unique governance models. Our data includes up-to-date population figures, percentage shares of world population, and continental classifications for comprehensive demographic analysis.
| Country | Population | % In World Share | Continent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vatican City | 494 | 0.00000601% | Europe |
| Tuvalu | 9,673 | 0.00012% | Australia And Oceania |
| Nauru | 11,980 | 0.00015% | Australia And Oceania |
| Palau | 17,746 | 0.00022% | Australia And Oceania |
| San Marino | 33,486 | 0.00041% | Europe |
| Marshall Islands | 37,656 | 0.00046% | Australia And Oceania |
| Monaco | 38,739 | 0.00047% | Europe |
| Liechtenstein | 39,774 | 0.00048% | Europe |
| Saint Kitts And Nevis | 46,983 | 0.00057% | North America |
| Dominica | 66,006 | 0.00080% | North America |
| Andorra | 81,716 | 0.00099% | Europe |
| Antigua And Barbuda | 93,528 | 0.0011% | North America |
| Saint Vincent And The Grenadines | 100,857 | 0.0012% | North America |
| Tonga | 103,924 | 0.0013% | Australia And Oceania |
| Micronesia | 112,843 | 0.0014% | Australia And Oceania |
| Grenada | 116,890 | 0.0014% | North America |
| Seychelles | 130,065 | 0.0016% | Africa |
| Kiribati | 134,248 | 0.0016% | Australia And Oceania |
| Saint Lucia | 179,276 | 0.0022% | North America |
| Samoa | 218,629 | 0.0027% | Australia And Oceania |
| Sao Tome And Principe | 235,041 | 0.0029% | Africa |
| Barbados | 283,031 | 0.0034% | North America |
| Vanuatu | 327,088 | 0.0040% | Australia And Oceania |
| Iceland | 392,255 | 0.0048% | Europe |
| The Bahamas | 402,125 | 0.0049% | North America |
| Belize | 416,154 | 0.0051% | North America |
| Brunei | 463,831 | 0.0056% | Asia |
| Cape Verde | 523,669 | 0.0064% | Africa |
| Maldives | 526,321 | 0.0064% | Asia |
| Malta | 540,686 | 0.0066% | Europe |
| Suriname | 632,781 | 0.0077% | South America |
| Montenegro | 640,139 | 0.0078% | Europe |
| Luxembourg | 674,651 | 0.0082% | Europe |
| Bhutan | 789,940 | 0.0096% | Asia |
| Solomon Islands | 821,327 | 0.0100% | Australia And Oceania |
| Guyana | 828,843 | 0.010% | South America |
| Comoros | 868,794 | 0.011% | Africa |
| Fiji | 926,276 | 0.011% | Australia And Oceania |
| Djibouti | 1,165,915 | 0.014% | Africa |
| Eswatini | 1,246,424 | 0.015% | Africa |
| Mauritius | 1,267,992 | 0.015% | Africa |
| Cyprus | 1,354,205 | 0.016% | Europe |
| Estonia | 1,363,815 | 0.017% | Europe |
| Timor-Leste | 1,404,141 | 0.017% | Australia And Oceania |
| Trinidad And Tobago | 1,512,152 | 0.018% | North America |
| Bahrain | 1,602,871 | 0.020% | Asia |
| North Macedonia | 1,817,723 | 0.022% | Europe |
| Latvia | 1,867,003 | 0.023% | Europe |
| Equatorial Guinea | 1,896,683 | 0.023% | Africa |
| Slovenia | 2,124,844 | 0.026% | Europe |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2,207,073 | 0.027% | Africa |
| Lesotho | 2,343,029 | 0.029% | Africa |
| Botswana | 2,527,694 | 0.031% | Africa |
| Gabon | 2,532,856 | 0.031% | Africa |
| Gambia | 2,767,717 | 0.034% | Africa |
| Albania | 2,799,856 | 0.034% | Europe |
| Jamaica | 2,831,514 | 0.034% | North America |
| Lithuania | 2,867,401 | 0.035% | Europe |
| Armenia | 2,980,085 | 0.036% | Asia |
| Namibia | 3,022,554 | 0.037% | Africa |
| Qatar | 3,039,274 | 0.037% | Asia |
| Moldova | 3,043,154 | 0.037% | Europe |
| Bosnia And Herzegovina | 3,171,844 | 0.039% | Europe |
| Uruguay | 3,379,816 | 0.041% | South America |
| Mongolia | 3,466,503 | 0.042% | Asia |
| Eritrea | 3,528,528 | 0.043% | Africa |
| Georgia | 3,797,770 | 0.046% | Asia |
| Croatia | 3,884,233 | 0.047% | Europe |
| Panama | 4,525,514 | 0.055% | North America |
| Kuwait | 4,924,147 | 0.060% | Asia |
| Costa Rica | 5,141,708 | 0.063% | North America |
| Mauritania | 5,155,959 | 0.063% | Africa |
| New Zealand | 5,203,512 | 0.063% | Australia And Oceania |
| Ireland | 5,267,632 | 0.064% | Europe |
| Oman | 5,295,800 | 0.064% | Asia |
| Central African Republic | 5,341,884 | 0.065% | Africa |
| Palestine | 5,480,602 | 0.067% | Asia |
| Slovakia | 5,490,790 | 0.067% | Europe |
| Norway | 5,593,389 | 0.068% | Europe |
| Liberia | 5,597,104 | 0.068% | Africa |
| Finland | 5,605,513 | 0.068% | Europe |
| Lebanon | 5,823,377 | 0.071% | Asia |
| Singapore | 5,846,387 | 0.071% | Asia |
| Denmark | 5,992,353 | 0.073% | Europe |
| Republic Of The Congo | 6,316,494 | 0.077% | Africa |
| El Salvador | 6,319,175 | 0.077% | North America |
| Bulgaria | 6,740,795 | 0.082% | Europe |
| Serbia | 6,750,366 | 0.082% | Europe |
| Nicaragua | 6,930,663 | 0.084% | North America |
| Paraguay | 6,945,779 | 0.085% | South America |
| Kyrgyzstan | 7,201,100 | 0.088% | Asia |
| Libya | 7,362,567 | 0.090% | Africa |
| Turkmenistan | 7,477,262 | 0.091% | Asia |
| Laos | 7,787,690 | 0.095% | Asia |
| Sierra Leone | 8,617,822 | 0.10% | Africa |
| Switzerland | 8,903,243 | 0.11% | Europe |
| Belarus | 9,075,719 | 0.11% | Europe |
| Austria | 9,093,447 | 0.11% | Europe |
| Israel | 9,362,613 | 0.11% | Asia |
| Togo | 9,543,785 | 0.12% | Africa |
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Island Nations & Micro-States
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Understanding the Demographics of Small Nations and Micro-States
The world's least populated countries represent a fascinating collection of micro-nations, small island territories, and city-states that demonstrate unique approaches to governance, sustainability, and development. From Vatican City with fewer than 1,000 residents to small Pacific island nations, these countries face distinctive demographic challenges including aging populations, emigration pressures, and economic sustainability concerns.
This comprehensive ranking showcases 100 countries with the smallest populations, highlighting their demographic characteristics, continental locations, and population shares. Many of these nations are island territories in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, along with European micro-states and dependencies. Understanding these population patterns provides valuable insights into sustainable development, resource management, and governance models for small territories.
1. Vatican City: The world's smallest sovereign state and least populated country with approximately 800-900 residents, serving as the spiritual center of the Catholic Church with unique governance structures.
2. Nauru: A small Pacific island nation with around 10,000-12,000 residents, facing economic challenges following phosphate mining depletion and environmental concerns.
3. Tuvalu: A Polynesian island nation with approximately 11,000 residents, facing existential threats from climate change and rising sea levels affecting sustainability.
4. Palau: A Pacific island nation with around 18,000 residents, known for pristine marine environments, sustainable tourism practices, and conservation leadership.
5. San Marino: One of the world's oldest republics located in Europe with approximately 34,000 residents, maintaining independent governance surrounded by Italy.
6. Liechtenstein: A prosperous European micro-state with around 39,000 residents, combining monarchy with parliamentary democracy and thriving financial services sector.
7. Monaco: Despite having 39,000+ residents, this Mediterranean city-state has the world's highest population density, known for luxury lifestyle and tax advantages.
8. Marshall Islands: A Pacific island nation with approximately 59,000 residents, maintaining strategic international relationships and facing climate challenges.
9. Saint Kitts and Nevis: A Caribbean nation with around 53,000 residents, developing citizenship investment programs and sustainable tourism initiatives.
10. Dominica: Known as the 'Nature Isle' with approximately 72,000 residents, focusing on eco-tourism, geothermal energy, and resilience programs.
Population data for least populated countries comes from various sources including national census bureaus, UN population estimates, and administrative registries. These figures represent total resident populations including citizens and legal residents, though some micro-states have complex residency classifications.
World share percentages indicate each country's proportion of global population. Even the largest countries in this ranking represent tiny fractions (often less than 0.001%) of the world's 8+ billion people, highlighting the extreme demographic concentration in populous nations.
Continental classifications group countries by geographic region. The Pacific region dominates with numerous small island nations, while Europe contributes historic micro-states and the Caribbean includes several small island territories.
Small population countries face unique demographic challenges. Brain drain affects many nations as talented youth migrate to larger economies for career opportunities. Island nations particularly struggle with geographic isolation, limited infrastructure, and vulnerability to natural disasters.
However, these nations also demonstrate remarkable resilience and innovation. Many have developed successful niche economies focusing on tourism, offshore financial services, citizenship programs, or specialized industries. Their small size often enables rapid policy implementation, direct citizen engagement, and adaptive governance.
Climate change poses existential risks for low-lying Pacific island nations like Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Marshall Islands, driving international climate advocacy and adaptation planning. These nations have become powerful voices in global environmental discussions despite their tiny populations.
âĸ International Organizations: Understanding voting rights, representation, and resource allocation in bodies like the UN where small nations have equal sovereignty.
âĸ Development Planning: Designing appropriate aid programs, infrastructure projects, and technical assistance for small population contexts.
âĸ Tourism Industry: Planning visitor management, sustainable tourism capacity, and economic diversification strategies for small destinations.
âĸ Climate Advocacy: Understanding demographic vulnerability to environmental changes and supporting climate adaptation financing.
âĸ Governance Research: Studying innovative governance models, direct democracy practices, and citizen engagement in small populations.
âĸ Investment Analysis: Evaluating economic opportunities, citizenship programs, offshore services, and business environments in micro-states.
Disclaimer We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.