The least populated country in the world is Vatican City, with about 800 residents. Among United Nations member states, the record goes to Tuvalu, with about 11,000 people. A dozen countries have fewer than 100,000 inhabitants: fewer people than a large football stadium can seat. Here is the ranking, from the emptiest upward.
1. Vatican City (about 800 residents)
The Pope’s city-state, enclaved in Rome, has no births to speak of: its residents are clergy, Swiss Guards and a few lay employees, most of whom keep their original nationality. Vatican citizenship comes with the job and is usually lost when the job ends. It is not a UN member, but a permanent observer.
2. Tuvalu (about 11,000)
Nine atolls in the Pacific, and the least populated member of the United Nations. Half the population lives on Funafuti, the capital atoll. Rising sea levels threaten the whole country, whose highest point barely reaches 5 meters.
3. Nauru (about 12,000)
A single island of 21 km², with no official capital: government offices sit in the district of Yaren. Phosphate mining made Nauru one of the richest countries per person in the 1970s, before the deposits ran out.
4. Palau (about 18,000)
An archipelago of more than 300 islands east of the Philippines. Palau shows that population and area are two different rankings: at 459 km², it does not even make the top 15 of the smallest countries by area, yet only three countries have fewer people.
5. San Marino (about 33,000)
Enclaved in Italy, San Marino claims to be the oldest surviving republic in the world, founded in 301 according to tradition. Its residents are spread across nine municipalities called castelli.
6. Monaco (about 38,000)
The densest country in the world, with about 18,000 inhabitants per km². Monegasque citizens are a minority in their own country: about a quarter of the population, the rest being foreign residents.
7. Liechtenstein (about 39,000)
A principality between Switzerland and Austria, where roughly a third of residents are foreign nationals. Thousands of cross-border workers commute in every day, so the working population is much larger than the resident one.
8. Marshall Islands (about 42,000)
29 atolls in the central Pacific. The population is shrinking: a free association agreement with the United States lets Marshallese live and work there without a visa, and many do. The 2021 census counted about 42,000 residents, against more than 50,000 ten years earlier.
9. Saint Kitts and Nevis (about 47,000)
Two Caribbean islands, and the least populated country in the Americas, as well as the smallest by area. Nevis, the smaller island, has its own local assembly and the constitutional right to secede.
10. Dominica (about 72,000)
The “Nature Isle” of the Caribbean is a good example of a large, empty country at this scale: 751 km² of mountains and rainforest, more than ten times the area of San Marino, for about twice the population.
The 20 least populated countries at a glance
| Rank | Country | Population (approx.) | Area (km²) | Continent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vatican City | 800 | 0.49 | Europe |
| 2 | Tuvalu | 11,000 | 26 | Oceania |
| 3 | Nauru | 12,000 | 21 | Oceania |
| 4 | Palau | 18,000 | 459 | Oceania |
| 5 | San Marino | 33,000 | 61 | Europe |
| 6 | Monaco | 38,000 | 2.02 | Europe |
| 7 | Liechtenstein | 39,000 | 160 | Europe |
| 8 | Marshall Islands | 42,000 | 181 | Oceania |
| 9 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 47,000 | 261 | Americas |
| 10 | Dominica | 72,000 | 751 | Americas |
| 11 | Andorra | 85,000 | 468 | Europe |
| 12 | Antigua and Barbuda | 94,000 | 442 | Americas |
| 13 | Tonga | 100,000 | 747 | Oceania |
| 14 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 104,000 | 389 | Americas |
| 15 | Micronesia | 105,000 | 702 | Oceania |
| 16 | Grenada | 117,000 | 344 | Americas |
| 17 | Seychelles | 120,000 | 459 | Africa |
| 18 | Kiribati | 130,000 | 811 | Oceania |
| 19 | Saint Lucia | 180,000 | 617 | Americas |
| 20 | Samoa | 205,000 | 2,842 | Oceania |
Populations are rounded recent estimates (national censuses and UN data). For the micro-states, a few hundred people up or down can swap two neighbors in the ranking from one source to another.
Population or area: two different rankings
Eight of the ten least populated countries are also among the ten smallest by area: Vatican City, Tuvalu, Nauru, San Marino, Monaco, Liechtenstein, the Marshall Islands and Saint Kitts and Nevis appear on both lists, in a different order. The differences are telling. Palau and Dominica have room but few people. Malta and the Maldives, both in the top 10 by area, each have more than 500,000 inhabitants and do not come close to this list. The area ranking is in our article on the smallest countries by area, with the European microstates covered in detail.
Oceania dominates the population ranking: 8 of the 20 countries above are Pacific island states. Africa only appears once, with the Seychelles, and Asia not at all: its least populated country, Brunei, has about 460,000 inhabitants.
Frequently asked questions
What is the least populated country in the world?
Vatican City, with about 800 residents. Among United Nations member states (the Vatican is only an observer), the least populated is Tuvalu, with about 11,000 people.
How many countries have fewer than 100,000 inhabitants?
About a dozen: Vatican City, Tuvalu, Nauru, Palau, San Marino, Monaco, Liechtenstein, the Marshall Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Andorra and Antigua and Barbuda. Tonga sits right at the threshold.
What is the least populated country on each continent?
Vatican City in Europe, Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Americas, the Seychelles in Africa, Tuvalu in Oceania and Brunei in Asia.
Is the least populated country also the smallest?
For the record holder, yes: Vatican City is both the least populated and the smallest country in the world. Further down, the two rankings diverge: Palau has fewer people than Monaco but more than 200 times its area.
