Data, Africa by the numbers

Largest countries in Africa by area

All 54 African countries ranked by size, from Algeria down, with land area, each country's share of the continent, population and how crowded each one is.

How we measure size

We rank countries by total area in square kilometres, the measure most atlases use. It includes lakes and rivers inside a country's borders.

The 54 countries cover 30,114,442 sq km together. The largest, Algeria, is about 5,212 times the size of the smallest, Seychelles.

Africa's countries by area at a glance

Largest: Algeria
2,381,740 sq km
Smallest: Seychelles
457 sq km
Middle country of 54
332,230 sq km
All 54 countries together
30,114,442 sq km

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (FAO surface area). Last checked 24 October 2026.

Algeria is the largest country in AfricaTotal area including inland water, square kilometres, 2024. The ten largest.

View the data as a table

Item	Value
Algeria	2,381,740
Democratic Republic of the Congo	2,345,410
Sudan	1,878,000
Libya	1,759,540
Chad	1,284,000
Niger	1,267,000
Angola	1,246,700
Mali	1,241,238
South Africa	1,219,602
Ethiopia	1,129,819

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (FAO surface area). Last checked 24 October 2026.

The three largest countries cover 21.9% of AfricaShare of the total area of Africa's 54 countries, 2024.

View the data as a table

Part	Value	Share
Algeria	2,381,740 sq km	8%
Democratic Republic of the Congo	2,345,410 sq km	8%
Sudan	1,878,000 sq km	6%
The other 51 countries	23,509,292 sq km	78%

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (FAO surface area). Last checked 24 October 2026.

The largest countries are rarely the most crowdedPeople per square kilometre: IMF population for 2025 divided by total area. The ten most crowded.

View the data as a table

Item	Value
Mauritius	618
Rwanda	538
Burundi	520
Comoros	487
Seychelles	267
Nigeria	257
Gambia	253
São Tomé and Príncipe	250
Malawi	203
Uganda	199

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (FAO surface area); IMF World Economic Outlook (population). Last checked 24 October 2026.

Largest countries in Africa by area, all 54Click a heading to sort. Search by name or filter by region.

Showing 54 of 54

Rank
1	Algeria	Northern Africa	2,381,740	2,381,740	7.9	47.4	20
2	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Middle Africa	2,345,410	2,267,050	7.8	106.6	45
3	Sudan	Northern Africa	1,878,000	1,868,000	6.2	50.4	27
4	Libya	Northern Africa	1,759,540	1,759,540	5.8	7.5	4
5	Chad	Middle Africa	1,284,000	1,259,200	4.3	19.0	15
6	Niger	Western Africa	1,267,000	1,266,700	4.2	29.1	23
7	Angola	Middle Africa	1,246,700	1,246,700	4.1	39.2	31
8	Mali	Western Africa	1,241,238	1,220,190	4.1	25.2	20
9	South Africa	Southern Africa	1,219,602	1,213,090	4.0	63.1	52
10	Ethiopia	Eastern Africa	1,129,819	1,122,135	3.8	110.6	98
11	Mauritania	Western Africa	1,030,700	1,030,700	3.4	4.6	4
12	Egypt	Northern Africa	1,001,450	995,450	3.3	107.9	108
13	Tanzania	Eastern Africa	945,500	884,000	3.1	70.5	75
14	Nigeria	Western Africa	923,768	910,770	3.1	237.6	257
15	Namibia	Southern Africa	824,292	823,290	2.7	3.1	4
16	Mozambique	Eastern Africa	799,380	786,380	2.7	35.8	45
17	Zambia	Eastern Africa	752,612	743,390	2.5	21.9	29
18	South Sudan	Eastern Africa	646,883	631,930	2.1	12.2	19
19	Somalia	Eastern Africa	637,657	627,340	2.1	17.0	27
20	Central African Republic	Middle Africa	622,980	622,980	2.1	5.5	9
21	Kenya	Eastern Africa	591,970	580,880	2.0	53.4	90
22	Madagascar	Eastern Africa	591,896	581,800	2.0	31.4	53
23	Botswana	Southern Africa	581,730	566,730	1.9	2.5	4
24	Cameroon	Middle Africa	475,442	472,710	1.6	29.9	63
25	Morocco	Northern Africa	446,550	446,300	1.5	37.7	84
26	Zimbabwe	Eastern Africa	390,760	386,850	1.3	17.4	44
27	Congo	Middle Africa	342,000	341,500	1.1	6.5	19
28	Côte d'Ivoire	Western Africa	322,460	318,000	1.1	32.9	102
29	Burkina Faso	Western Africa	274,200	273,600	0.9	24.1	88
30	Gabon	Middle Africa	267,670	257,670	0.9	2.3	9
31	Guinea	Western Africa	245,857	245,720	0.8	15.8	64
32	Uganda	Eastern Africa	241,551	200,520	0.8	48.0	199
33	Ghana	Western Africa	238,539	227,533	0.8	35.1	147
34	Senegal	Western Africa	196,710	192,530	0.7	19.2	97
35	Tunisia	Northern Africa	163,610	155,360	0.5	12.3	75
36	Eritrea	Eastern Africa	121,630	120,800	0.4	Not published	Not published
37	Malawi	Eastern Africa	118,484	94,280	0.4	24.1	203
38	Benin	Western Africa	114,760	112,760	0.4	14.8	129
39	Liberia	Western Africa	111,370	96,320	0.4	5.7	51
40	Sierra Leone	Western Africa	72,300	72,180	0.2	8.8	122
41	Togo	Western Africa	56,785	54,390	0.2	8.7	153
42	Guinea-Bissau	Western Africa	36,125	28,120	0.1	2.0	56
43	Lesotho	Southern Africa	30,360	30,360	0.1	2.4	78
44	Equatorial Guinea	Middle Africa	28,052	28,052	0.1	1.6	58
45	Burundi	Eastern Africa	27,834	25,680	0.1	14.5	520
46	Rwanda	Eastern Africa	26,340	23,763	0.1	14.2	538
47	Djibouti	Eastern Africa	23,200	23,180	0.1	1.1	46
48	Eswatini	Southern Africa	17,364	17,200	0.1	1.3	72
49	Gambia	Western Africa	11,295	10,120	0.0	2.9	253
50	Cabo Verde	Western Africa	4,030	4,030	0.0	0.5	128
51	Mauritius	Eastern Africa	2,010	2,000	0.0	1.2	618
52	Comoros	Eastern Africa	1,870	1,870	0.0	0.9	487
53	São Tomé and Príncipe	Middle Africa	960	960	0.0	0.2	250
54	Seychelles	Eastern Africa	457	457	0.0	0.1	267

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (FAO surface area); IMF World Economic Outlook (population). Last checked 24 October 2026.

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How to read this ranking

Area figures change very little from year to year. Small changes come from new surveys and from how lakes and coastal waters are counted.
Total area includes lakes and rivers. Land area leaves them out, which matters for countries with large lakes such as Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi.
Western Sahara is not listed as a separate country. We follow the World Bank, which publishes figures for the 54 African member states of the United Nations.

Method and sources

Area is the World Bank's figure for total surface area, which includes lakes and rivers, from the Food and Agriculture Organization. We show land area alongside it. Population is the IMF's figure used across our economy rankings. We checked the figures at the source on 24 October 2026.

World Bank surface area data. Download all the figures as CSV.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the largest country in Africa?

Algeria, at 2,381,740 sq km. It became the largest in 2011, when South Sudan became independent and Sudan lost about a quarter of its territory.

What are the five largest countries in Africa?

Algeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan lead the list. The full order is in the chart and the table on this page.

How big is Africa?

The 54 countries on this page cover 30,114,442 sq km together, by the World Bank's figures.

Where do the numbers come from?

From the World Bank's World Development Indicators, which publish the Food and Agriculture Organization's surface area figures. Population comes from the IMF's World Economic Outlook.

Can I use these figures?

Yes. Please link to this page and name the World Bank as the source.