Real size
How big is Saudi Arabia really?
1.93 million km²
744,000 sq mi · 14th largest of the 167 here · about the size of Mexico
Normal web maps draw it 1.2× too big
Saudi Arabia covers 1.93 million km² (744,000 sq mi), about the size of Mexico. A normal web map draws it about 1.2 times too big: not much, but enough to make it look bigger than countries nearer the equator.
Measured from our map outlines, so official figures can differ by a few percent. Ranks count the 167 countries and territories on these pages: those over 5,000 km², not counting disputed territories.
Saudi ArabiaGreenland
Saudi ArabiaGreenland
- Real area
- 1.93 million km²
- Size rank
- 14th of 167
- On a normal web map
- 1.2× too big
- Latitude
- 24°N
Countries about the same size
- MexicoAbout the same size
- IndonesiaAbout the same size
- SudanAbout the same size
- GreenlandGreenland is 1.1 times the size of Saudi Arabia
- LibyaSaudi Arabia is 1.2 times the size of Libya
Saudi Arabia through history
Borders here have moved many times. Step through our maps, from 2000 BCE to today, to see who ruled this land before, and how big their realms really were.
Open the history map →Browse the eras →
Common questions
- How big is Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia covers about 1.93 million km² (744,000 sq mi). It is the 14th largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does Saudi Arabia look so big on maps?
- Most web maps use the Mercator projection, which keeps shapes right but stretches area more and more toward the poles. Averaged over the whole country, it draws Saudi Arabia about 1.2 times too big.
- Is Saudi Arabia bigger than Greenland?
- No. Greenland is about 1.1 times the size of Saudi Arabia.
- Is Saudi Arabia bigger than Mexico?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.