How Large Would Countries Be Based on Their Population?

With a human population on track to surpass the mark of 8 billion, the entire world faces enormous challenges ahead, from food and safe water to urbanization and efficient use of space. Several countries seem balanced in their surface-to-inhabitant ratio, while the opposite is true for others. Have you ever wondered how large countries would be based on their population? The graphics we'll share here will help you visualize the answer...

If we make a small consideration, Russia is the only European country (technically transcontinental) that exceeds 100 million inhabitants. Germany and Turkey (also transcontinental) barely pass 80 million, and in the case of Spain, the latest official calculations speak of 46.7 million inhabitants. But even more interesting is the aspect of density. For example, Spain has 92 inhabitants per square kilometer, meaning it isn't even in the top 100. The problem is that if we rely only on density, some regions automatically become distorted. Monaco has 18,960 inhabitants per square kilometer, and Vatican City is at 2,200/km², when in reality there are no more than 1,000 inhabitants there. Today we'll present a curious alternative: equate the size of countries to their population.

The Size of Countries, Based on Their Population

The conversion is relatively simple: each of the 15,266 squares equals 500,000 inhabitants, and when the population is less than that number, the map marks half a square. One of the most striking examples appears in North America. The United States and Mexico appear balanced if you will, but Canada is almost a noodle, with 37 million inhabitants spread across 10 million square kilometers. Obviously, the biggest differences are in Asia. China and India represent 36.2 percent of the world's population. In other words, 6 out of 10 people live in Asia, and the rates continue to grow.

Now, what do you think of your country? Is there too many people there, or too few? Do you think the population distribution is adequate, or do a few regions concentrate the majority? Our audience is international, and comments are open.

Source: World Economic Forum