The chart above shows economic output as it relates to land area. The countries to the top left of the diagonal line have a gross domestic product (GDP) of over one million international dollars per square kilometer, while countries to the bottom right have a GDP that is less than one million dollars per square kilometer. Asia has the countries with the largest ratios of GDP to area whereas the Africa has the countries with the smallest ratios of GDP to area.
Findings
- Worldwide, only one country makes less than 10,000 international dollars per square kilometer: the Central African Republic.
- Eight of the ten countries with the smallest GDP per square kilometer are in Africa. The other two are one each from South America and Asia.
- Six of the ten countries with the highest GDP per square kilometer are in Asia. The other four are in Europe.
- Only three countries worldwide make over 100 million international dollars per square kilometer.
Caveats
- A country with a large landmass and a small population is likely to have a smaller ratio, whereas a small country with a large population density can have a larger ratio. Thus the data may not reflect how productive a country is.
- Several countries are not included as they were missing data. See the continent reports for complete lists.
Details
Some tiny Asian and European states have GDPs that are larger than nations much larger than them.
Amazingly, some of the largest countries also have economies many multiples of their geographic size.
Sources
US Department of State. 2017. "The World Factbook." Accessed September 21, 2017. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html.