What is the highest surface area recorded in World?

The highest recorded value was 140.59 million sq. km in 2020.

What is the lowest surface area recorded in World?

The lowest recorded value was 139.73 million sq. km in 1994.

How does World rank for surface area?

World ranks 1st out of 47 groups with data for 2023.

Is surface area rising or falling in World?

Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.

Surface area in World

Name: Surface area in World
Creator: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

World: Surface area was 140.54 million sq. km in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)

140.54 million sq. km

Change on year

down 0.0%

Rank

1st

of 47 groups

All-time high

140.59 million sq. km

in 2020

All-time low

139.73 million sq. km

in 1994

Years of data

1961–2023

Surface area in World, 1961–2023

Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.

Analysis

World recorded 140.54 million sq. km for surface area in 2023.

The figure is up 0.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, surface area in World peaked at 140.59 million sq. km in 2020 and was at its lowest, 139.73 million sq. km, in 1994.

World ranks 1st of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

Surface area in World, year by year

Annual values for Surface area (sq. km) in World, 1961 to 2023.
Year	sq. km	Change
1961	139.74 million sq. km	—
1962	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1963	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1964	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1965	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1966	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1967	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1968	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1969	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1970	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1971	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1972	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1973	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1974	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1975	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1976	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1977	139.73 million sq. km	-0.0%
1978	139.73 million sq. km	+0.0%
1979	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1980	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1981	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1982	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1983	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1984	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1985	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1986	139.74 million sq. km	+0.0%
1987	139.73 million sq. km	-0.0%
1988	139.73 million sq. km	+0.0%
1989	139.73 million sq. km	+0.0%
1990	139.73 million sq. km	+0.0%
1991	139.73 million sq. km	+0.0%
1992	139.73 million sq. km	+0.0%
1993	139.73 million sq. km	+0.0%
1994	139.73 million sq. km	-0.0%
1995	139.73 million sq. km	+0.0%
1996	139.73 million sq. km	+0.0%
1997	139.80 million sq. km	+0.0%
1998	139.77 million sq. km	-0.0%
1999	139.77 million sq. km	+0.0%
2000	139.77 million sq. km	-0.0%
2001	139.77 million sq. km	+0.0%
2002	139.77 million sq. km	+0.0%
2003	139.77 million sq. km	+0.0%
2004	139.80 million sq. km	+0.0%
2005	139.80 million sq. km	+0.0%
2006	139.80 million sq. km	+0.0%
2007	139.80 million sq. km	+0.0%
2008	140.00 million sq. km	+0.1%
2009	140.00 million sq. km	-0.0%
2010	140.00 million sq. km	+0.0%
2011	140.00 million sq. km	+0.0%
2012	140.02 million sq. km	+0.0%
2013	140.38 million sq. km	+0.3%
2014	140.38 million sq. km	-0.0%
2015	140.38 million sq. km	+0.0%
2016	140.38 million sq. km	+0.0%
2017	140.39 million sq. km	+0.0%
2018	140.39 million sq. km	+0.0%
2019	140.49 million sq. km	+0.1%
2020	140.59 million sq. km	+0.1%
2021	140.58 million sq. km	-0.0%
2022	140.54 million sq. km	-0.0%
2023	140.54 million sq. km	-0.0%

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	139.74 million sq. km	139.74 million sq. km	139.74 million sq. km	9
1970s	139.73 million sq. km	139.73 million sq. km	139.74 million sq. km	10
1980s	139.73 million sq. km	139.73 million sq. km	139.74 million sq. km	10
1990s	139.75 million sq. km	139.73 million sq. km	139.80 million sq. km	10
2000s	139.83 million sq. km	139.77 million sq. km	140.00 million sq. km	10
2010s	140.28 million sq. km	140.00 million sq. km	140.49 million sq. km	10
2020s	140.56 million sq. km	140.54 million sq. km	140.59 million sq. km	4

Countries ranked near World

1 Russia 17.13 million sq. km compare
2 Canada 15.63 million sq. km compare
3 United States 9.83 million sq. km compare
4 China 9.56 million sq. km compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More agriculture & rural data for World

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.41 % change on previous year (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0401 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 577.68 current US$ per person (2025)
Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2984 % change on previous year (2025)
Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Rural population, per capita 0.4217 units per person (2025)
Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
Rural population 42.2% (2025)
Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is surface area in World?: Surface area in World was 140.54 million sq. km in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
What is the highest surface area recorded in World?: The highest recorded value was 140.59 million sq. km in 2020.
What is the lowest surface area recorded in World?: The lowest recorded value was 139.73 million sq. km in 1994.
How does World rank for surface area?: World ranks 1st out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
Is surface area rising or falling in World?: Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this World data come from?: The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Surface area (sq. km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Surface area in World. Statizoid, drawing on FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/surface-area-sq-km/world/

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About this data

Indicator: Surface area (sq. km)
Unit: sq. km
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 264 places, 16,456 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 17 September 2026

Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.