With 450,295 square kilometers, Sweden is the largest Nordic country by area size, followed by Finland and Norway. This makes it the fifth largest country in Europe. Meanwhile, Denmark is the smallest of the five Nordic countries with only 43,094 square kilometers, however, the Danish autonomous region of Greenland is significantly larger than any of the Nordic countries, and is almost double the size of the other five combined.
Population
Sweden is also the Nordic country with the largest population. 10.45 million people live in the country. Denmark, Finland, and Norway all have between five and six million inhabitants, whereas only 370,000 people live in Iceland. Meanwhile, Denmark has the highest population density of the five countries. Greenland is the most sparsely populated permanently-inhabited country in the world, followed by the regions of Svalbard and Jan Mayen.
Geography
The five Nordic countries vary geographically. While Denmark is mostly flat, its highest point only stretching around 170 meters above sea level, Norway's highest peak is nearly 2,500 meters high. Moreover, Finland is known for its many lakes and is often called the land of a thousand lakes, whereas Iceland is famous for its volcanoes.
Nordic countries and their overseas territories or dependencies, by area size
(in square kilometers)
Characteristic
Country
Overseas territory or dependency
Sweden
450,295
-
Finland
338,424
-
Norway*
323,802
-
Iceland
103,000
-
Denmark
43,094
-
Greenland**
-
2,166,086
Svalbard and Jan Mayen*
-
61,422
Faroe Islands**
-
1,399
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Area in square kilometers450,295450,295338,424338,424323,802323,802103,000103,00043,09443,0942,166,0862,166,08661,42261,4221,3991,399CountryOverseas territory or dependencySwedenFinlandNorway*IcelandDenmarkGreenland**Svalbard and Jan Mayen*Faroe Islands**
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*Does not include the islands of Jan Mayen and Svalbard. If these are included, Norway's area amounts to 385,207 square kilometers, which makes it larger than Finland.
**The islands of Greenland and the Faroe Islands are autonomous regions under the Danish Crown not usually included when the area of Denmark is counted. Source links for these territories can be found here and here.
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World Population Review, & Encyclopædia Britannica. (April 7, 2022). Nordic countries and their overseas territories or dependencies, by area size (in square kilometers) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved March 07, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301264/countries-nordics-area/
World Population Review, und Encyclopædia Britannica. "Nordic countries and their overseas territories or dependencies, by area size (in square kilometers)." Chart. April 7, 2022. Statista. Accessed March 07, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301264/countries-nordics-area/
World Population Review, Encyclopædia Britannica. (2022). Nordic countries and their overseas territories or dependencies, by area size (in square kilometers). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: March 07, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301264/countries-nordics-area/
World Population Review, and Encyclopædia Britannica. "Nordic Countries and Their Overseas Territories or Dependencies, by Area Size (in Square Kilometers)." Statista, Statista Inc., 7 Apr 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301264/countries-nordics-area/
World Population Review & Encyclopædia Britannica, Nordic countries and their overseas territories or dependencies, by area size (in square kilometers) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301264/countries-nordics-area/ (last visited March 07, 2025)
Nordic countries and their overseas territories or dependencies, by area size (in square kilometers) [Graph], World Population Review, & Encyclopædia Britannica, April 7, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301264/countries-nordics-area/
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