Youth Perspectives

These are the world’s most densely populated countries

Emma Luxton
Senior Writer , Forum Agenda

Monaco is the most densely populated country in the world, according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ Population Division.

This is, of course, down to the principality’s tiny size. It is the world’s second smallest country with an area of 2.02 square km.

This map shows the global population density per square km, as of July 1 2015.

1511B44- global population density map

South East Asian nations stand out, as do India and China – despite their enormous size. This presents problems for policymakers as they look to provide adequate infrastructure, from sanitation to transportation and housing, for their rapidly expanding populations.

The data also show the countries that are least densely populated, with Mongolia – with fewer than two people per square km – Australia, Canada and Russia among the most sparsely inhabited countries around the world.

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Author: Emma Luxton is a Junior Content Producer at Formative Content.

Image: People walk across a street in Tokyo July 12, 2009. REUTERS/Stringer 

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