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China's area vs Sierra Leone's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

China is 133.8 times bigger by total area compared to Sierra Leone: 3,705,407 sq mi vs 27,699 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of China is 3,624,808 sq mi vs 27,869 sq mi for Sierra Leone — a 130.1 times difference in territory size.

  • China ranks 4/197 by total surface area vs 117/197 for Sierra Leone.
  • China occupies 6.3% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.05% for Sierra Leone.
  • 55.4% of China's area is agricultural land vs 54.7% in Sierra Leone.
  • China has 10.9% of the world's agricultural land area — Sierra Leone has 0.08%.
  • 24% of China is covered by forests, compared to 34.3% in Sierra Leone.
  • 5.58% of the world's forests are in China, and 0.06% are in Sierra Leone.

True size map comparison: China vs Sierra Leone

See how China and Sierra Leone compare in true size on the map. Drag the outlines to different latitudes to see how the Mercator projection affects their apparent size.

Total size and land area comparison

China Sierra Leone
Total area 3,705,407
sq mi
27,699
sq mi
Size difference ratio 133.8 1
Total area rank 4/197 117/197
Share of all countries' surface area 1.88% 0.01%
Land area 3,624,808
sq mi
27,869
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 130.1 1
Land area rank 2/197 116/197
Share of all countries' land area 6.3% 0.05%
Population 1,408,975,000 8,642,022
Population density 387 ppl/mi² 323 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

China Sierra Leone
Forest area 871,112
sq mi
9,559
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 24% 34.3%
Forest area rank 5/196 98/196
World's forests share 5.58% 0.06%
Agricultural land area 2,009,326
sq mi
15,247
sq mi
Agricultural land share 55.4% 54.7%
Agricultural land area rank 1/194 96/194
Share of global agricultural land 10.9% 0.08%
Arable land 418,639
sq mi
6,116
sq mi
Arable land share 11.5% 21.9%
Arable land area rank 4/191 89/191
Permanent cropland 73,950
sq mi
637
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 2.04% 2.29%
Permanent cropland area rank 2/192 90/192
Water area 80,599
sq mi
0
sq mi
Water as share of total area 2.18% 0%
Water area rank 5/197 191/197
Roads length 3,411,576
mi
7,270
mi
Land borders length 13,954
mi
679
mi
Coastline length 9,010
mi
249.8
mi
Share of marine protected waters 4.8% 1.7%

China vs Sierra Leone size on the map

Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2026, retrieved 2026-04-06).

GeoRank.org/size/china/sierra-leone | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of China and Sierra Leone but is not accurate for size comparison because it's a 2d map with Mercator projection that distorts territories near the poles. The farther a country is from the equator, the more magnified it appears. More about country size projections.

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Data sources:

  1. World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2023–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06)
  2. Wikidata (2026, retrieved 2026-02-08)
  3. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2025, retrieved 2026-02-20)
  4. United Nations | World Population Prospects (2026, retrieved 2026-03-10)

Total agricultural land encompasses all areas used for agriculture: territories under permanent and temporary crops and pastures. It includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vineyards, but excludes sites utilized for timber production.

Arable land encompasses fields utilized for temporary crop production, pastures, market or kitchen gardens, and temporarily fallowed land. Land abandoned due to shifting cultivation practices is not included.

Permanent cropland refers to farmland for the long-term cultivation of crops, such as coffee, cocoa, and rubber, which do not require replanting after each harvest. This category encompasses land with permanent crops like flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vines, but does not include land under trees for timber production.

Inland areas under water, such as large rivers, lakes, and some coastal waterways.

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.