Misc

Visualized: The World’s 100 Smallest Countries

Published

2 years ago

October 16, 2020

Therese Wood

Visualized: The World’s 100 Smallest Countries

The World’s 100 Smallest Countries

National borders may be mere human constructs, but they are powerful ones.

Russia, Canada, the U.S., and so on—it’s easy to focus on the countries with the largest landmasses and seemingly endless borders. Their sheer size makes them hard to ignore, and their natural resources are often vast.

But with the above graphic from TitleMax, we can focus on the power of small.

From economic might to religious influence, many of the smallest countries in the world are surprisingly powerful. Let’s take a closer look at the world’s 100 smallest countries and their spheres of influence.

Rank	Country	Size (mi²)
1	Vatican City	0.19
2	Monaco	0.78
3	Nauru	8.1
4	Tuvalu	10
5	San Marino	24
6	Liechtenstein	62
7	Marshall Islands	70
8	Saint Kitts and Nevis	101
9	Maldives	120
10	Malta	122
11	Grenada	133
12	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	150
13	Barbados	170
14	Antigua and Barbuda	171
15	Seychelles	175
16	Palau	177
17	Andorra	181
18	Saint Lucia	238
19	Federated States of Micronesia	271
20	Singapore	280
21	Tonga	288
22	Dominica	290
23	Bahrain	300
24	Kiribati	313
25	São Tomé and Príncipe	372
26	Comoros	719
27	Mauritius	790
28	Luxembourg	998
29	Samoa	1,097
30	Cape Verde	1,557
31	Trinidad and Tobago	1,980
32	Brunei	2,226
33	Cyprus	3,572
34	Lebanon	4,036
35	Jamaica	4,244
36	The Gambia	4,361
37	Qatar	4,473
38	Vanuatu	4,706
39	Montenegro	5,333
40	The Bahamas	5,383
41	imor-Leste	5,760
42	Eswatini	6,704
43	Kuwait	6,880
44	Fiji	7,055
45	Slovenia	7,827
46	Israel	8,020
47	El Salvador	8,124
48	Belize	8,867
49	Djibouti	9,000
50	North Macedonia	9,928
51	Rwanda	10,169
52	Haiti	10,710
53	Burundi	10,747
54	Equatorial Guinea	10,831
55	Albania	11,100
56	Solomon Islands	11,157
57	Armenia	11,484
58	Lesotho	11,720
59	Belgium	11,787
60	Moldova	13,068
61	Guinea-Bissau	13,948
62	Bhutan	14,824
63	Switzerland	15,940
64	Netherlands	16,160
65	Denmark	16,639
66	Estonia	17,462
67	Dominican Republic	18,792
68	Slovakia	18,933
69	Costa Rica	19,700
70	Bosnia and Herzegovina	19,772
71	Croatia	21,851
72	Togo	21,925
73	Latvia	24,926
74	Lithuania	25,200
75	Sri Lanka	25,330
76	Georgia	26,900
77	Ireland	27,133
78	Sierra Leone	27,700
79	Panama	29,119
80	Czech Republic	30,450
81	United Arab Emirates	32,300
82	Austria	32,383
83	Azerbaijan	33,400
84	Serbia	34,116
85	Jordan	34,495
86	Portugal	35,560
87	Hungary	35,918
88	South Korea	38,690
89	Iceland	40,000
90	Guatemala	42,042
91	Cuba	42,426
92	Bulgaria	42,858
93	Liberia	43,000
94	Honduras	43,433
95	Benin	44,310
96	Eritrea	45,400
97	Malawi	45,747
98	North Korea	46,540
99	Nicaragua	50,337
100	Greece	50,949

Although several of the national borders shown above may be contested, the graphic gives us a clear overview of the globe’s smallest nations.

The Power of Small

Small size doesn’t mean less power. In many cases, it’s the contrary.

The Vatican—the smallest country on Earth at 0.19 square miles—is renowned for its leader and main inhabitant, the Pope. As leader of the Catholic Church, the pontiff and his papal staff make up a sizable part of the country’s tiny population of 825. Most of the Church’s 219 Cardinals, its leading dignitaries, live in their respective dioceses.

With more than 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in the world, the Vatican’s sphere of influence is of course far larger than its small physical size. Although the walls of the Vatican are situated inside the city of Rome, Italy, its centuries-old influence spans continents.

Nearly 40% of Roman Catholics live in the Americas, while the fastest-growing Catholic population can be found in Africa—home to more than 17% of the world’s Catholics.

Purchasing Power

Where the Vatican’s power lies in religion, plenty of spending power is held by the tiny country of Monaco, the second smallest country on Earth.

Situated along the French Riviera, Monaco is surrounded entirely by France—but it also sits fewer than 10 miles from the Italian border.

At 0.78 square miles, Monaco could be compared to the size of a large farm in the U.S. Midwest. Despite its small size, Monaco has a GDP of nearly US$7.2 billion, and boasts over 12,000 millionaires living within one square mile.

Along with Luxembourg and Liechtenstein—both of which are included in the smallest countries list—Monaco is one of the only countries globally with a GDP per capita higher than $100,000.

Switzerland and the Netherlands, both found in this graphic at ranks 63 and 64, also hold large shares of the global economy given their size. These two nations rank 20th and 17th in the world in economic output, respectively.

Similarly, Singapore is the 20th smallest country on the planet, but it ranks in the top 10 in terms of GDP per capita ($65,233) and sits in 34th place globally in terms of nominal GDP.

Perspective is Everything

To give us a better idea of just how small the tiniest countries are, let’s take a look at some simple size comparisons:

Monaco could fit inside New York City’s Central Park, with room to spare
Brunei is roughly the same size as Delaware
Nicaragua, the largest country in Central America, is similar in size to the state of Mississippi
Nauru is the smallest island nation, and smaller than Rhode Island
North Korea is roughly the size of Pennsylvania

“Small,” of course, is a qualitative factor. It depends on your vantage point.

As of September 2020, there are 195 countries on Earth. Although this graphic shows the smallest countries in the world, it is worth noting that a list of the world’s 100 largest countries would also include some of the same countries on this list, including North Korea, Nicaragua, and Greece.

Is It A Small World Afterall?

Viewed from space, there are no borders on our tiny blue dot. But from ground level, we know how much power national borders hold.

Although globalization may make our world feel smaller, our nations significantly impact our lives, societally and economically.

And, as this chart shows, power comes in all sizes.

Related Topics:switzerland countries economies monaco smallest countries world's smallest countries smallest nations vatican city city states brunei vatican

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Mapped: The 3 Billion People Who Can’t Afford a Healthy Diet

More than three billion people across the globe are unable to afford a healthy diet. See which countries are most affected.

Published

3 days ago

October 3, 2022

Govind Bhutada

The 3 Billion People Who Can’t Afford a Healthy Diet

While they aren’t often the focus of news media, hunger and undernourishment are problems plaguing millions of people every day.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more than 3 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2020, an additional 112 million more people than in 2019. The increase was partly because of rising food prices, with the average cost of a healthy diet rising by 3.3% from 2019 levels.

As of August 2022, the FAO food price index was up 40.6% from average 2020 levels. Unless income levels increased by a similar magnitude, the healthy diet crisis is likely to have worsened, especially in low-income countries experiencing rampant food inflation.

Using data from the FAO, the above infographic maps the share of people unable to afford a healthy diet in 138 different countries as of 2020 (latest available data).

The Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet

According to the FAO, a healthy diet is one that meets daily energy needs as well as requirements within the food and dietary guidelines created by the country.

The (un)affordability is measured by comparing the cost of a healthy diet to income levels in the country. If the cost exceeds 52% of an average household’s income, the diet is deemed unaffordable.

Here’s a look at the share of populations unable to afford a healthy diet, and the cost of such a diet around the world:

Country	Percent of population unable to afford a healthy diet	Cost of Healthy Diet (USD per Person per Day)
Burundi 🇧🇮	97.2%	$2.9
Madagascar 🇲🇬	97.0%	$3.2
Liberia 🇱🇷	96.8%	$3.9
Malawi 🇲🇼	96.6%	$3.1
Nigeria 🇳🇬	95.9%	$4.1
Central African Republic 🇨🇫	95.1%	$3.6
Guinea 🇬🇳	94.9%	$4.1
Angola 🇦🇴	94.3%	$4.5
Congo 🇨🇬	92.4%	$3.4
Sudan 🇸🇩	91.8%	$4.3
Mozambique 🇲🇿	91.5%	$3.2
Democratic Republic of Congo 🇨🇩	90.0%	$2.1
Sierra Leone 🇸🇱	89.2%	$2.9
Niger 🇳🇪	88.8%	$2.9
Zambia 🇿🇲	88.0%	$3.3
Tanzania 🇹🇿	87.6%	$2.7
Guinea-Bissau 🇬🇼	87.2%	$3.5
Ethiopia 🇪🇹	86.8%	$3.4
Rwanda 🇷🇼	86.3%	$2.7
Haiti 🇭🇹	85.9%	$4.5
Sao Tome and Principe 🇸🇹	84.7%	$3.6
Nepal 🇳🇵	84.0%	$4.4
Lesotho 🇱🇸	83.5%	$4.3
Pakistan 🇵🇰	83.5%	$3.7
Chad 🇹🇩	83.4%	$2.8
Benin 🇧🇯	82.9%	$3.7
Uganda 🇺🇬	82.2%	$2.7
Kenya 🇰🇪	81.1%	$3.0
Burkina Faso 🇧🇫	80.1%	$3.3
Laos 🇱🇦	79.8%	$4.1
Mali 🇲🇱	74.3%	$3.1
Bangladesh 🇧🇩	73.5%	$3.1
Egypt 🇪🇬	72.9%	$3.4
Eswatini 🇸🇿	71.8%	$3.4
India 🇮🇳	70.5%	$3.0
Indonesia 🇮🇩	69.1%	$4.5
Philippines 🇵🇭	68.6%	$4.1
Jamaica 🇯🇲	66.2%	$6.7
South Africa 🇿🇦	65.2%	$4.3
Myanmar 🇲🇲	65.1%	$4.2
Gambia 🇬🇲	64.0%	$3.1
Djibouti 🇩🇯	63.9%	$3.1
Botswana 🇧🇼	61.4%	$3.7
Ghana 🇬🇭	61.2%	$4.0
Cameroon 🇨🇲	60.7%	$2.8
Mauritania 🇲🇷	60.7%	$3.7
Fiji 🇫🇯	60.4%	$3.9
Suriname 🇸🇷	58.8%	$5.7
Namibia 🇳🇦	56.8%	$3.5
Bhutan 🇧🇹	53.0%	$5.0
Mongolia 🇲🇳	51.4%	$5.1
Honduras 🇭🇳	51.3%	$3.5
Iraq 🇮🇶	49.6%	$3.5
Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬	49.6%	$3.2
Sri Lanka 🇱🇰	49.0%	$3.9
Senegal 🇸🇳	46.0%	$2.3
Guyana 🇬🇾	43.0%	$4.9
Armenia 🇦🇲	42.9%	$3.2
Tajikistan 🇹🇯	42.1%	$3.5
Cabo Verde 🇨🇻	38.1%	$3.6
Belize 🇧🇿	36.4%	$2.1
Gabon 🇬🇦	36.3%	$3.6
Nicaragua 🇳🇮	35.7%	$3.3
Algeria 🇩🇿	30.2%	$3.8
Vietnam 🇻🇳	30.0%	$4.1
Colombia 🇨🇴	26.5%	$3.1
Mexico 🇲🇽	26.3%	$3.3
Bolivia 🇧🇴	24.7%	$3.8
Palestine 🇵🇸	23.1%	$3.4
Ecuador 🇪🇨	21.4%	$2.9
Saint Lucia 🇱🇨	20.6%	$3.6
Peru 🇵🇪	20.5%	$3.3
Iran 🇮🇷	20.3%	$3.6
Tunisia 🇹🇳	20.3%	$3.6
Albania 🇦🇱	20.1%	$4.2
Brazil 🇧🇷	19.0%	$3.1
Dominican Republic 🇩🇴	18.3%	$3.9
Panama 🇵🇦	18.2%	$4.5
North Macedonia 🇲🇰	18.0%	$3.4
Paraguay 🇵🇾	17.8%	$3.5
Montenegro 🇲🇪	17.5%	$3.5
Thailand 🇹🇭	17.0%	$4.3
Costa Rica 🇨🇷	16.8%	$4.1
Morocco 🇲🇦	16.7%	$2.8
Serbia 🇷🇸	16.3%	$4.2
Jordan 🇯🇴	14.9%	$3.6
Mauritius 🇲🇺	13.5%	$3.6
China 🇨🇳	12.0%	$3.0
Trinidad and Tobago 🇹🇹	11.6%	$4.2
Romania 🇷🇴	8.8%	$3.2
Bulgaria 🇧🇬	8.5%	$4.1
Seychelles 🇸🇨	6.8%	$3.8
Moldova 🇲🇩	6.7%	$2.8
Chile 🇨🇱	3.8%	$3.4
Croatia 🇭🇷	3.8%	$4.3
Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦	3.7%	$4.0
Uruguay 🇺🇾	3.6%	$3.4
Russia 🇷🇺	3.5%	$3.4
Greece 🇬🇷	3.2%	$3.1
Italy 🇮🇹	2.9%	$3.1
Japan 🇯🇵	2.5%	$5.8
Hungary 🇭🇺	2.0%	$3.5
Spain 🇪🇸	2.0%	$2.8
Malaysia 🇲🇾	1.9%	$3.5
Latvia 🇱🇻	1.8%	$3.2
South Korea 🇰🇷	1.7%	$5.2
United States 🇺🇸	1.5%	$3.4
Maldives 🇲🇻	1.4%	$3.9
Estonia 🇪🇪	1.3%	$3.3
Kazakhstan 🇰🇿	1.2%	$2.7
Lithuania 🇱🇹	1.2%	$3.1
Slovakia 🇸🇰	1.2%	$3.2
Israel 🇮🇱	1.0%	$2.5
Poland 🇵🇱	1.0%	$3.2
Austria 🇦🇹	0.8%	$3.0
Australia 🇦🇺	0.7%	$2.6
Canada 🇨🇦	0.7%	$3.0
Malta 🇲🇹	0.7%	$3.8
Sweden 🇸🇪	0.6%	$3.3
Portugal 🇵🇹	0.5%	$2.7
United Kingdom 🇬🇧	0.5%	$1.9
Denmark 🇩🇰	0.4%	$2.5
Norway 🇳🇴	0.4%	$3.5
Cyprus 🇨🇾	0.3%	$3.0
Belarus 🇧🇾	0.2%	$3.3
Belgium 🇧🇪	0.2%	$3.1
Czechia	0.2%	$3.0
Germany 🇩🇪	0.2%	$3.0
Netherlands 🇳🇱	0.2%	$3.0
Finland 🇫🇮	0.1%	$2.7
France 🇫🇷	0.1%	$3.2
Ireland 🇮🇪	0.1%	$2.2
Luxembourg 🇱🇺	0.1%	$2.7
Slovenia 🇸🇮	0.1%	$3.1
Azerbaijan 🇦🇿	0.0%	$2.5
Iceland 🇮🇸	0.0%	$2.4
Switzerland 🇨🇭	0.0%	$2.7
United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪	0.0%	$3.1
World 🌎	42.0%	$3.5

In 52 countries, more than half of the population cannot afford a healthy diet. The majority of these are in Africa, with the rest located across Asia, Oceania, and the Americas.

By contrast, in four countries—Azerbaijan, Iceland, Switzerland, and the UAE—everyone is able to afford a healthy diet. The picture is similar for most European and developed high-income countries, where more than 95% of the population can afford a healthy diet.

When the percentages are translated into numbers, Asia contains the most number of people unable to afford a healthy diet at 1.89 billion, of which 973 million people are in India alone. Another 1 billion people are in Africa, with around 151 million people in the Americas and Oceania.

While hunger is a worldwide concern, it is particularly acute in African countries, which cover all of the top 20 spots in the above table.

Africa’s Deepening Food Crisis

In many countries across sub-Saharan Africa, more than 90% of the population cannot afford a healthy diet.

Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly susceptible to extreme climate events and the resulting volatility in food prices. Roughly one-third of the world’s droughts occur in the region, and some sub-Saharan countries are also heavily reliant on imports for food.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has deepened the crisis, with many African countries importing over 50% of their wheat from the two countries in conflict. The rising food prices from this supply chain disruption have resulted in double-digit food inflation in many African nations, which means that more people are likely to be unable to afford healthy diets.

The Horn of Africa region at the Eastern tip of Africa is particularly in turmoil. All the countries in the region are reliant on wheat from Russia and Ukraine, with Eritrea (100%) and Somalia (>90%) high up in the import dependency chart. Additionally, the region is facing its worst drought in 40 years alongside ongoing political conflicts. As a result, 22 million people are at risk of starvation.

Population Growth and Food Insecurity

In November of 2022, the global population is projected to surpass 8 billion people, and many of the fastest growing countries are also food-insecure.

By 2050, the global population is likely to increase by 35%, and to meet the growing demand for food, crop production will need to double. Given that agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, this increase in crop production will also need to be environmentally sustainable.

As the impacts of climate change intensify and food demand increases, reducing food waste, building climate-resilient agricultural infrastructure, and improving agricultural productivity will all play a key role in reducing the levels of food insecurity sustainably.

Get our new “The World at 8 Billion” report and webinar by becoming a VC+ member

Energy

Visualizing the Range of Electric Cars vs. Gas-Powered Cars

With range anxiety being a barrier to EV adoption, how far can an electric car go on one charge, and how do EV ranges compare with gas cars?

Published

6 days ago

September 30, 2022

Govind Bhutada

The Range of Electric Cars vs. Gas-Powered Cars

This was originally posted on Elements. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful visualizations on natural resource megatrends in your email every week.

EV adoption has grown rapidly in recent years, but many prospective buyers still have doubts about electric car ranges.

In fact, 33% of new car buyers chose range anxiety—the concern about how far an EV can drive on a full charge—as their top inhibitor to purchasing electric cars in a survey conducted by EY.

So, how far can the average electric car go on one charge, and how does that compare with the typical range of gas-powered cars?

The Rise in EV Ranges

Thanks to improvements in battery technology, the average range of electric cars has more than doubled over the last decade, according to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Year	Avg. EV Range	Maximum EV Range
2010	79 miles (127 km)	N/A
2011	86 miles (138 km)	94 miles (151 km)
2012	99 miles (159 km)	265 miles (426 km)
2013	117 miles (188 km)	265 miles (426 km)
2014	130 miles (209 km)	265 miles (426 km)
2015	131 miles (211 km)	270 miles (435 km)
2016	145 miles (233 km)	315 miles (507 km)
2017	151 miles (243 km)	335 miles (539 km)
2018	189 miles (304 km)	335 miles (539 km)
2019	209 miles (336 km)	370 miles (595 km)
2020	210 miles (338 km)	402 miles (647 km)
2021	217 miles (349 km)	520 miles* (837 km)

*Max range for EVs offered in the United States.
Source: IEA, U.S. DOE

As of 2021, the average battery-powered EV could travel 217 miles (349 km) on a single charge. It represents a 44% increase from 151 miles (243 km) in 2017 and a 152% increase relative to a decade ago.

Despite the steady growth, EVs still fall short when compared to gas-powered cars. For example, in 2021, the median gas car range (on one full tank) in the U.S. was around 413 miles (664 km)—nearly double what the average EV would cover.

As automakers roll out new models, electric car ranges are likely to continue increasing and could soon match those of their gas-powered counterparts. It’s important to note that EV ranges can change depending on external conditions.

What Affects EV Ranges?

In theory, EV ranges depend on battery capacity and motor efficiency, but real-world results can vary based on several factors:

Weather: At temperatures below 20℉ (-6.7℃), EVs can lose around 12% of their range, rising to 41% if heating is turned on inside the vehicle.
Operating Conditions: Thanks to regenerative braking, EVs may extend their maximum range during city driving.
Speed: When driving at high speeds, EV motors spin faster at a less efficient rate. This may result in range loss.

On the contrary, when driven at optimal temperatures of about 70℉ (21.5℃), EVs can exceed their rated range, according to an analysis by Geotab.

The 10 Longest-Range Electric Cars in America

Here are the 10 longest-range electric cars available in the U.S. as of 2022, based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) range estimates:

Car	Range On One Full Charge	Estimated Base Price
Lucid Air	520 miles (837 km)	$170,500
Tesla Model S	405 miles (652 km)	$106,190
Tesla Model 3	358 miles (576 km)	$59,440
Mercedes EQS	350 miles (563 km)	$103,360
Tesla Model X	348 miles (560 km)	$122,440
Tesla Model Y	330 miles (531 km)	$67,440
Hummer EV	329 miles (529 km)	$110,295
BMW iX	324 miles (521 km)	$84,195
Ford F-150 Lightning	320 miles (515 km)	$74,169
Rivian R1S	316 miles (509 km)	$70,000

Source: Car and Driver

The top-spec Lucid Air offers the highest range of any EV with a price tag of $170,500, followed by the Tesla Model S. But the Tesla Model 3 offers the most bang for your buck if range and price are the only two factors in consideration.