10 Countries with the Least Population Density 2024
Today, you will discover the countries with the least population density in the world! This rate helps to tell the relationship between the number of people in a country and its territorial extension.
From this, we can understand whether the total area of a country can well accommodate the entire population within it. Therefore, this metric usually uses the geographic characteristics of a location to be determined.
Discover the 10 countries with the least population density:
1. Mongolia
The first country on our list of countries with the lowest population density is Mongolia, with a surprising 2.11 inhabitants per km². It is located in northern Asia, between Russia and China, and the country has no coastline.
Its location makes the region’s climate very extreme, where it can record the longest and coldest winters. Furthermore, its geographic region does not help much as it has several uninhabitable stretches of desert and several mountains throughout the region.
2. Namibia
The second country with the lowest population density is Namibia, with around 3.02 inhabitants per km². The reason for this is due to their land and the region’s dry climate, which means Namibians have little access to water.
Namibia’s land is a very delicate point as only 0.9% of it can be used for agriculture. This means that the country is unable to feed its people alone, making it necessary to import food from neighboring countries. Furthermore, the country faced an AIDS pandemic that contributed to the decline of the population.
3. Australia
Australia is also a country with a very low population density, with just 3.33 inhabitants per km², in an area of more than 7 million km². The reason for its low density is due to slow population growth.
Furthermore, central Australia is completely dry, with very high temperatures and constant forest fires. This means that the population only lives close to the country’s coast, where it is possible to find a more pleasant climate.
4. Iceland
Iceland has a population density of just 3.63 inhabitants per km². Like Australia, its population growth is slow and most people live on the country’s coast, where the climate is more pleasant.
But, unlike Australia, the problem with the central region of Iceland is the Arctic climate, which leads to very low temperatures.
5. Libya
In fifth place on our list of countries with the least population density we have Libya, a country located in North Africa and today has a population density of just 3.78 inhabitants per km².
Despite being the 17th largest country, a large part of its area is covered by the Sahara Desert, which means that the population only lives along the coast, where they can find arable land and water.
6. Suriname
Known for being the smallest country in South America, Suriname also has a low population density, of just 3.89 people per km². This happens due to the lack of structure and development in the country.
Today Suriname has dense tropical rainforests with important natural resources that are inaccessible to the population. This, combined with the low number of jobs, means that the people of Suriname end up emigrating to other countries.
7. Guyana
On our list of countries with the least population density, we have Guyana in seventh place, with just 4 inhabitants per km². Most of them live in the country’s coastal strip, where they group together in villages and tend crops. This range is equivalent to just 5% of Guyana’s total area.
8. Canada
Canada is also a country with a low population density, of just 4.24 inhabitants per km². Most people live further south in the country, close to the border with the United States.
The northernmost regions have few people and tend to be very cold as they are close to the Arctic Circle. Going to the far north of the country, you can see a tundra landscape, where only polar bears live there.
But despite this, Canada invests a lot in the growth of its population. Much of it occurs from the emigration of people from other countries who go to Canada to have a better quality of life.
9. Mauritania
Located on the northwest side of Africa, Mauritania makes our list of countries with the least population density with just 4.36 people per km². Much of the country is completely desert, and it has only 0.5% of land where agriculture is possible.
Read Also: The 10 Least Developed Countries in the World
10. Botswana
Finally, another country in Africa, we now have Botswana, with a population density of just 4.49 inhabitants per km². About 70% of its land is covered by the Kalahari Desert. Furthermore, high aridity makes water rare and leaves only 0.5% of its land suitable for planting.
