Data, Africa by the numbers

Smallest countries in Africa

All 54 African countries ranked from the smallest, with land area, population and how crowded each one is. Most of the smallest are island nations.

How we measure size

We rank countries by total area in square kilometres, which includes lakes and rivers inside their borders.

The smallest countries are mostly islands in the Indian and Atlantic oceans. On the mainland, the smallest is The Gambia.

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.

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

View the data as a table

Item	Value
Burundi	27,834
Rwanda	26,340
Djibouti	23,200
Eswatini	17,364
Gambia	11,295
Cabo Verde	4,030
Mauritius	2,010
Comoros	1,870
São Tomé and Príncipe	960
Seychelles	457

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

Africa's three largest countries cover 21.9% of the continentShare 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.

Small countries are often 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.

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

Showing 54 of 54

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

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 smallest country in Africa?

Seychelles, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, at 457 sq km.

What is the smallest country on the African mainland?

The Gambia. It is the smallest country on the mainland, surrounded by Senegal except for its Atlantic coast. Its exact rank is in the table on this page.

Which small African country is the most crowded?

The chart of people per square kilometre on this page shows the ten most crowded countries. Island nations and small countries lead it.

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.