Pakistan’s Area Rank in the World: 33rd Largest Country Explained

Where does Pakistan stand among the world’s countries by size? The answer depends on which area figure you use — but on the current international measure, Pakistan is firmly the 33rd-largest country on Earth. Here is the ranking, the neighbours above and below it, and why some lists say 34th.

The 33rd Rank, Explained

At 881,913 km², Pakistan occupies 33rd place in the world area ranking maintained by references such as Wikipedia’s list of countries by area. That puts Pakistan in the top sixth of the world’s roughly 195 countries — larger than 160+ sovereign states.

The ranking uses total area (land plus inland water). Pakistan’s inland water — the Indus river system, its reservoirs and lakes — covers about 2.86% of the total, roughly 25,220 km².

Countries Around Pakistan in the Ranking

Why Some Lists Say 34th

If you learned in school that Pakistan is the 34th-largest country, you are not wrong — you are using the older 803,940 km² figure (see our square kilometres guide). At 803,940 km², Pakistan drops just below Namibia’s 824,292 km² and lands at 34th. The current international figure of 881,913 km² restores it to 33rd.

What the Rank Means in Context

• Pakistan is roughly the combined size of France and the United Kingdom, the comparison used by most international references.
• It is larger than every European country except Russia — bigger than Turkey, France, Spain and Ukraine.
• Despite being 33rd by area, Pakistan is the 5th most populous country (241.5 million in the 2023 census), giving it one of the highest population densities among large countries: about 274 people per km².
• Pakistan’s area has been fixed since 14 August 1947, with the last territorial addition — Gwadar — in December 1958.

For the complete picture, see our Pakistan area complete guide and the Urdu answer to Pakistan ka kul raqba kitna hai.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pakistan’s area rank in the world?

Pakistan is the 33rd-largest country in the world by total area, at 881,913 square kilometres. It ranks just below Venezuela (32nd) and just above Namibia (34th).

Is Pakistan bigger than Turkey?

Yes. Pakistan (881,913 km²) is larger than Turkey (783,562 km²) by nearly 100,000 square kilometres.

Which countries are closest to Pakistan in size?

Venezuela (912,050 km²) is the closest larger country and Namibia (824,292 km²) the closest smaller one. Nigeria and Tanzania sit just above Venezuela in the ranking.