Europe: countries by area | Statista (2024)

Russia is the largest country in Europe, and also the largest in the world, its total size amounting to 17 million square kilometers (km²). It should be noted, however, that over three quarters of Russia is located in Asia, and the Ural mountains are often viewed as the meeting point of the two continents in Russia; nonetheless, European Russia is still significantly larger than any other European country. Ukraine, the second largest country on the continent, is only 603,000 km², making it about 28 times smaller than its eastern neighbor, or seven times smaller than the European part of Russia. France is the third largest country in Europe, but the largest in the European Union. The Vatican City, often referred to as the Holy Sea, is both the smallest country in Europe and in the world, at just one km².

Population

Russia is also the most populous country in Europe. It has around 146 million inhabitants across the country; in this case, around three quarters of the population live in the European part, which still gives it the largest population in Europe. Despite having the largest population, Russia is a very sparsely populated country due to its size. Germany is the second most populous country in Europe, with 83 million inhabitants, while the Vatican has the smallest population. Worldwide, China and India are the most populous countries, with approximately 1.4 billion inhabitants each.

Cities

Istanbul in Turkey* is often ranked as the most populous city in Europe with around 15 million inhabitants, although figures vary, due to differences in the methodologies used by countries and sources. Moscow is the second most populous city, with Paris ranked third. Worldwide, Tokyo is the most populous city, with Jakarta the second largest and Delhi the third.