From glacier-fringed archipelagos to palm-lined atolls, islands come in each conceivable form and measurement. But relating to sheer numbers of islands, not each nation is created equal. The nations that prime this listing aren’t simply tropical locations or volcanic chains, they’re typically locations the place inland lakes, fjord-laced coastlines, and geological fragmentation have produced hundreds of discrete landmasses.
That raises a deceptively easy query: which countries have the most islands? The reply relies upon not simply on geography, however on the way you outline an island in the first place. Some nations rely even the tiniest landmasses that keep above water at excessive tide; others apply stricter thresholds for minimal measurement or shoreline size. Advances in satellite tv for pc mapping have additionally triggered numbers to leap in current years, as beforehand unrecorded islets are added to official tallies. In quick, no two countries rely islands the identical means, however that doesn’t imply we are able to’t examine the greatest obtainable knowledge.
How the knowledge was compiled
This listing attracts from figures printed by WorldAtlas, which aggregates national-level knowledge from mapping authorities, statistical bureaus, and geospatial surveys. Each nation makes use of its personal standards to outline and rely islands, some embody any landmass surrounded by water at excessive tide, no matter measurement; others impose thresholds based mostly on space or shoreline size.
For occasion, Sweden counts any landmass bigger than 25 sq. metres, whereas Japan’s 2023 recount thought of solely these with a shoreline of no less than 100 metres. Modern mapping instruments have additionally modified the image: higher-resolution satellite tv for pc knowledge has led to vital revisions in some countries’ official totals.
These figures embody all pure islands, whether or not inhabited or not. Artificial islands, offshore rock formations, and sandbanks that disappear at excessive tide are usually excluded.
The supply
The essential supply for this rating is WorldAtlas (2020), cross-referenced with 2025 updates from World Population Review. These datasets mirror the most broadly cited and fairly constant island counts obtainable, with numbers drawn from nationwide data and official land surveys.
The 10 countries with the most islands
Artur Debat
Sweden
No different nation comes shut. While fewer than 1,000 are inhabited, Sweden’s intricate community of freshwater and marine islands, many tiny and forested, make it the undisputed chief.
Islands: 267,570
Sumith Nunkham
Norway
From Arctic Svalbard to the southern skerries, Norway’s rugged, fjord-lined coast is damaged up by a unprecedented variety of small islands.