Artificial surfaces (including urban and associated areas) — Area from MODIS by country
The FAOSTAT domain on Land Cover data under the Agri-Environmental Indicators section contains land cover information organized by the land cover classes of the international standard system for Environmental and Economic Accounting Central Framework (SEEA CF). The land cover information is compiled from publicly...
Countries reporting
219
Highest
16,225 1000 ha
China
Lowest
0.04 1000 ha
Monaco
Median
52.62 1000 ha
Years covered
24
2001–2024
Data points
6,390
What the numbers show
Artificial surfaces (including urban and associated areas) — Area from MODIS is currently reported for 219 countries. The highest value is 16,225 1000 ha in China; the lowest is 0.04 1000 ha in Monaco.
The median across all reporting countries is 52.62 1000 ha, and the mean is 416.29 1000 ha.
Over the past decade 180 countries rose and 20 fell. The largest increase was in Comoros (up 154.5%), and the largest decrease in Saint Pierre and Miquelon (down 45.5%).
Artificial surfaces (including urban and associated areas) — Area: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 16,225 1000 ha | 2024 | up 6.8% | rising |
| 2 | China, mainland | 15,855 1000 ha | 2024 | up 6.9% | rising |
| 2 | Türkiye | 1,027 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.1% | rising |
| 3 | Brazil | 4,060 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 3 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 928.32 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 4 | India | 3,952 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.7% | flat |
| 5 | Japan | 3,409 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 5 | Viet Nam | 576.34 1000 ha | 2024 | up 10.4% | rising |
| 6 | Russian Federation | 3,155 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.6% | flat |
| 6 | Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | 555.49 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 7 | Germany | 2,597 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 7 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 309.04 1000 ha | 2024 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 8 | Argentina | 1,761 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 8 | Syrian Arab Republic | 307.14 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 9 | Italy | 1,587 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 9 | Democratic People's Republic of Korea | 228.47 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 10 | Indonesia | 1,570 1000 ha | 2024 | up 7.2% | rising |
| 10 | Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | 218.8 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 11 | France | 1,541 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 11 | United Republic of Tanzania | 126.01 1000 ha | 2024 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 12 | Australia and New Zealand | 1,256 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.0% | rising |
| 12 | Republic of Moldova | 110.64 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 13 | Uzbekistan | 1,172 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 13 | Melanesia | 29.85 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.6% | rising |
| 14 | Ukraine | 1,169 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 14 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 20.5 1000 ha | 2024 | up 8.6% | rising |
| 15 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 1,145 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.8% | flat |
| 15 | Timor-Leste | 6.07 1000 ha | 2024 | up 4.8% | rising |
| 16 | Australia | 1,125 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.1% | rising |
| 16 | Micronesia | 2.23 1000 ha | 2024 | down 2.6% | flat |
| 17 | Mexico | 1,114 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.6% | rising |
| 18 | South Africa | 1,111 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.9% | rising |
| 19 | Canada | 1,099 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.3% | rising |
| 20 | Nigeria | 898.22 1000 ha | 2024 | up 12.5% | rising |
| 21 | Poland | 840.17 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 22 | Pakistan | 716.04 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.6% | flat |
| 23 | Spain | 668.72 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.6% | flat |
| 24 | Thailand | 639.44 1000 ha | 2024 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 24 | Caribbean | 501.64 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.1% | flat |
| 25 | Republic of Korea | 614.98 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.9% | rising |
| 25 | Côte d'Ivoire | 195.8 1000 ha | 2024 | up 7.2% | rising |
| 26 | Romania | 568.7 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 26 | Cabo Verde | 3.68 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 27 | Egypt | 539.03 1000 ha | 2024 | up 6.9% | rising |
| 28 | Peru | 535.44 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 29 | Malaysia | 528.94 1000 ha | 2024 | up 4.8% | rising |
| 30 | Netherlands (Kingdom of the) | 503.77 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.1% | flat |
| 31 | Saudi Arabia | 494.7 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.2% | flat |
| 32 | Chile | 469.02 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.1% | flat |
| 33 | Colombia | 433.19 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 34 | Iraq | 423.28 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.2% | flat |
| 35 | Kazakhstan | 403.94 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.1% | flat |
| 36 | Hungary | 377.94 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 37 | Belgium | 368.86 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 38 | Sudan (former) | 364.36 1000 ha | 2011 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 39 | Sudan | 358.97 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 40 | Czechia | 355.94 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 41 | China, Taiwan Province of | 344.04 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.0% | rising |
| 42 | Philippines | 338.67 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.4% | rising |
| 43 | Algeria | 336.24 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.5% | flat |
| 44 | Ghana | 314.1 1000 ha | 2024 | up 11.4% | rising |
| 45 | Ecuador | 296.11 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.0% | flat |
| 46 | Bulgaria | 256.12 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 47 | Azerbaijan | 235.26 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.8% | flat |
| 48 | Austria | 221.39 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 49 | Morocco | 220.92 1000 ha | 2024 | up 4.3% | rising |
| 50 | Greece | 215.18 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 51 | Serbia and Montenegro | 204.43 1000 ha | 2005 | — | flat |
| 52 | Kyrgyzstan | 200.27 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.9% | flat |
| 53 | Serbia | 195.96 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 54 | Portugal | 187.82 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 55 | Slovakia | 177.57 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 56 | Turkmenistan | 173.43 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 57 | Sweden | 169.12 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.8% | rising |
| 58 | Myanmar | 163.02 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.0% | flat |
| 59 | Tunisia | 155.21 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.6% | flat |
| 60 | Libya | 151.27 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.8% | flat |
| 61 | Switzerland | 151.16 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 62 | Belarus | 148.95 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 63 | Ethiopia | 147.41 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.8% | rising |
| 64 | Paraguay | 142.88 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 65 | Tajikistan | 133.76 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 66 | Mozambique | 133.29 1000 ha | 2024 | up 8.5% | rising |
| 67 | New Zealand | 131.44 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.4% | rising |
| 68 | Israel | 129.42 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.3% | flat |
| 69 | Puerto Rico | 129.31 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 70 | Afghanistan | 119.96 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 71 | Somalia | 117.87 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.1% | flat |
| 72 | Yemen | 116.56 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 73 | Bangladesh | 116.53 1000 ha | 2024 | up 8.8% | rising |
| 74 | Uruguay | 111.55 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.6% | flat |
| 75 | Angola | 110.76 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.2% | rising |
| 76 | Denmark | 109.11 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 77 | Armenia | 106.48 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.1% | flat |
| 78 | Mongolia | 100.9 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.2% | flat |
| 79 | Zambia | 99.25 1000 ha | 2024 | up 6.6% | rising |
| 80 | Cameroon | 97.76 1000 ha | 2024 | up 7.6% | rising |
| 81 | Georgia | 96.98 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 82 | Dominican Republic | 96.3 1000 ha | 2024 | up 4.2% | rising |
| 83 | Norway | 94.01 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.0% | flat |
| 84 | Jordan | 87.45 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 85 | Croatia | 78.81 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.2% | flat |
| 86 | Cuba | 76.9 1000 ha | 2024 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 87 | Benin | 70.94 1000 ha | 2024 | up 6.6% | rising |
| 88 | Finland | 68.31 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.7% | rising |
| 89 | United Arab Emirates | 67.73 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.0% | rising |
| 90 | Zimbabwe | 66.06 1000 ha | 2024 | up 7.3% | rising |
| 91 | Senegal | 61.04 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.8% | rising |
| 92 | Uganda | 60.58 1000 ha | 2024 | up 22.3% | rising |
| 93 | Kenya | 59.92 1000 ha | 2024 | up 7.1% | rising |
| 94 | Kuwait | 59.9 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.0% | flat |
| 95 | Sri Lanka | 58.95 1000 ha | 2024 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 96 | Congo | 54 1000 ha | 2024 | up 5.8% | rising |
| 97 | Mali | 52.76 1000 ha | 2024 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 98 | Haiti | 52.62 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 99 | Botswana | 52.06 1000 ha | 2024 | up 6.0% | rising |
| 100 | Niger | 50.58 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.4% | flat |
| 101 | Lebanon | 49.83 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 102 | Costa Rica | 49.47 1000 ha | 2024 | up 7.7% | rising |
| 103 | Burkina Faso | 48.58 1000 ha | 2024 | up 4.5% | rising |
| 104 | Cambodia | 48.13 1000 ha | 2024 | up 15.0% | rising |
| 105 | Togo | 46.68 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.3% | rising |
| 106 | Ireland | 46.64 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.6% | rising |
| 107 | Guatemala | 46.01 1000 ha | 2024 | up 8.6% | rising |
| 108 | Panama | 42.77 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.9% | flat |
| 109 | North Macedonia | 42.03 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 110 | Singapore | 40.92 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 111 | Guinea | 40.85 1000 ha | 2024 | up 10.3% | rising |
| 112 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 40.35 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.1% | flat |
| 113 | Lithuania | 39.48 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 114 | Jamaica | 38.79 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.2% | flat |
| 115 | Qatar | 38.62 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.5% | flat |
| 116 | Trinidad and Tobago | 37.73 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 117 | Slovenia | 37.49 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 118 | Palestine | 37.17 1000 ha | 2024 | up 4.4% | flat |
| 119 | Oman | 36.68 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 120 | Nepal | 34.95 1000 ha | 2024 | up 9.4% | rising |
| 121 | Namibia | 33.29 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 122 | Gabon | 32.91 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.4% | rising |
| 123 | Honduras | 32.81 1000 ha | 2024 | up 7.8% | rising |
| 124 | Chad | 31.94 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 125 | Cyprus | 31.38 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 126 | Central African Republic | 29.94 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 127 | Madagascar | 28.68 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.9% | flat |
| 128 | Liberia | 27.91 1000 ha | 2024 | up 27.3% | rising |
| 129 | Latvia | 25.26 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 130 | Albania | 24.61 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 131 | China, Hong Kong SAR | 24.47 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 132 | Malawi | 24.08 1000 ha | 2024 | up 11.7% | rising |
| 133 | Papua New Guinea | 23.15 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.5% | rising |
| 134 | Sierra Leone | 23.09 1000 ha | 2024 | up 14.2% | rising |
| 135 | Brunei Darussalam | 22.91 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 136 | Estonia | 21.45 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 137 | Nicaragua | 21.08 1000 ha | 2022 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 138 | El Salvador | 20.98 1000 ha | 2024 | up 4.6% | rising |
| 139 | Bahrain | 20.74 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.4% | flat |
| 140 | Netherlands Antilles (former) | 19.89 1000 ha | 2024 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 141 | Guyana | 18.49 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 142 | Mauritania | 15.51 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.6% | flat |
| 143 | Luxembourg | 14.9 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.2% | flat |
| 144 | Suriname | 13.12 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 145 | Rwanda | 12.91 1000 ha | 2024 | up 15.1% | rising |
| 146 | Malta | 12.6 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 147 | Gambia | 11.25 1000 ha | 2024 | up 7.6% | rising |
| 148 | Eritrea | 10.74 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.8% | flat |
| 149 | Bahamas | 10.3 1000 ha | 2024 | down 1.2% | flat |
| 150 | Montenegro | 10.17 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 151 | Aruba | 9.99 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 152 | Lesotho | 9.71 1000 ha | 2024 | up 6.8% | rising |
| 153 | Burundi | 9.66 1000 ha | 2024 | up 25.3% | rising |
| 154 | Réunion | 9.4 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 155 | South Sudan | 9.21 1000 ha | 2024 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 156 | French Guiana | 7.61 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 157 | Guadeloupe | 6.93 1000 ha | 2024 | down 0.6% | flat |
| 158 | Iceland | 6.05 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 159 | Guinea-Bissau | 5.43 1000 ha | 2024 | up 5.0% | rising |
| 160 | Mauritius | 5.42 1000 ha | 2024 | up 6.5% | rising |
| 161 | Martinique | 4.86 1000 ha | 2024 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 162 | Barbados | 4.75 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 163 | Western Sahara | 4.52 1000 ha | 2024 | up 0.9% | flat |
| 164 | Equatorial Guinea | 4.36 1000 ha | 2024 | up 9.0% | rising |
| 165 | New Caledonia | 3.66 1000 ha | 2024 | down 2.9% | flat |
| 166 | United States Virgin Islands | 3.51 1000 ha | 2024 | down 1.7% | flat |
| 167 | Eswatini | 3.11 1000 ha | 2024 | up 2.3% | flat |
| 168 | Djibouti | 2.8 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 169 | Faroe Islands | 2.63 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.1% | rising |
| 170 | Belize | 2.46 1000 ha | 2024 | up 1.7% | flat |
| 171 | Guam | 2.14 1000 ha | 2024 | down 1.8% | flat |
| 172 | Bhutan | 2.06 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 173 | Solomon Islands | 2.01 1000 ha | 2024 | up 4.7% | rising |
| 174 | Antigua and Barbuda | 1.73 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.6% | flat |
| 175 | Cayman Islands | 1.69 1000 ha | 2024 | down 6.1% | flat |
| 176 | Saint Lucia | 1.56 1000 ha | 2024 | down 1.3% | flat |
| 177 | Andorra | 1.55 1000 ha | 2024 | down 1.3% | flat |
| 178 | French Southern Territories | 1.49 1000 ha | 2024 | down 3.9% | rising |
| 179 | China, Macao SAR | 1.48 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.5% | rising |
| 180 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1.03 1000 ha | 2024 | down 1.9% | flat |
| 181 | Liechtenstein | 0.99 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 182 | Grenada | 0.88 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | rising |
| 183 | Isle of Man | 0.78 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | falling |
| 184 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0.68 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.0% | rising |
| 185 | Dominica | 0.62 1000 ha | 2024 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 185 | Fiji | 0.62 1000 ha | 2024 | up 72.2% | rising |
| 187 | Anguilla | 0.51 1000 ha | 2024 | down 3.8% | flat |
| 188 | Montserrat | 0.49 1000 ha | 2024 | down 3.9% | flat |
| 189 | San Marino | 0.45 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 190 | Vanuatu | 0.41 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 191 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 0.36 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 192 | Gibraltar | 0.32 1000 ha | 2024 | down 5.9% | falling |
| 193 | Comoros | 0.28 1000 ha | 2024 | up 154.5% | volatile |
| 194 | Sao Tome and Principe | 0.24 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | rising |
| 194 | Mayotte | 0.24 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 196 | Maldives | 0.21 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 196 | British Virgin Islands | 0.21 1000 ha | 2024 | down 12.5% | falling |
| 198 | Northern Mariana Islands | 0.09 1000 ha | 2024 | down 18.2% | rising |
| 199 | Seychelles | 0.06 1000 ha | 2024 | up 50.0% | flat |
| 199 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 0.06 1000 ha | 2024 | down 45.5% | falling |
| 199 | Ascension, Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha | 0.06 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | flat |
| 202 | Monaco | 0.04 1000 ha | 2024 | unchanged | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- World 87,333 1000 ha
- Asia 35,913 1000 ha
- Americas 26,302 1000 ha
- Eastern Asia 20,579 1000 ha
- Europe 17,392 1000 ha
- Middle Africa 670.95 1000 ha
- Northern America 15,847 1000 ha
- United States of America 14,748 1000 ha
- European Union (27) 11,122 1000 ha
- South America 8,623 1000 ha
- Eastern Europe 7,159 1000 ha
- Africa 6,438 1000 ha
- Southern Asia 5,929 1000 ha
- Western Europe 5,399 1000 ha
- South-Eastern Asia 3,955 1000 ha
- Western Asia 3,366 1000 ha
- Southern Europe 3,103 1000 ha
- Central Asia 2,083 1000 ha
- Western Africa 1,866 1000 ha
- Chagai 1.94 1000 ha
- Northern Africa 1,766 1000 ha
- Northern Europe 1,730 1000 ha
- Central America 1,330 1000 ha
- Oceania 1,288 1000 ha
- Southern Africa 1,209 1000 ha
- Eastern Africa 925.36 1000 ha
About this data
The FAOSTAT domain on Land Cover data under the Agri-Environmental Indicators section contains land cover information organized by the land cover classes of the international standard system for Environmental and Economic Accounting Central Framework (SEEA CF). The land cover information is compiled from publicly available Global Land Cover (GLC) maps: a) MODIS land cover types based on the Land Cover Classification System, LCCS; b) The European Spatial Agency (ESA) Climate Change Initiative (CCI) annual land cover maps produced by the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL)-Geomatics and now under the European Copernicus Program; c) The annual land cover maps which were produced under the European Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS) (CGLS land cover, containing discrete land cover categorization), with spatial resolution 100m; and d) the WorldCover maps of the European Space Agency, produced at 10m resolution.