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Iceland's area vs India's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

India is 31.9 times bigger by total area compared to Iceland: 1,269,219 sq mi vs 39,770 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of India is 1,147,955 sq mi vs 38,931 sq mi for Iceland — a 29.5 times difference in territory size.

  • Iceland ranks 106/197 by total surface area vs 7/197 for India.
  • Iceland occupies 0.07% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 2% for India.
  • 16.2% of Iceland's area is agricultural land vs 60.1% in India.
  • Iceland has 0.03% of the world's agricultural land area — India has 3.74%.
  • 0.53% of Iceland is covered by forests, compared to 24.5% in India.
  • 0.001% of the world's forests are in Iceland, and 1.81% are in India.

True size map comparison: Iceland vs India

See how Iceland and India 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

Iceland India
Total area 39,770
sq mi
1,269,219
sq mi
Size difference ratio 1 31.9
Total area rank 106/197 7/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.02% 0.64%
Land area 38,931
sq mi
1,147,955
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 1 29.5
Land area rank 104/197 7/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.07% 2%
Population 386,506 1,450,935,791
Population density 10.2 ppl/mi² 1,287 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

Iceland India
Forest area 205.8
sq mi
281,697
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 0.53% 24.5%
Forest area rank 161/196 9/196
World's forests share 0.001% 1.81%
Agricultural land area 6,324
sq mi
689,466
sq mi
Agricultural land share 16.2% 60.1%
Agricultural land area rank 127/194 7/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.03% 3.74%
Arable land 467
sq mi
594,090
sq mi
Arable land share 1.2% 51.8%
Arable land area rank 144/191 1/191
Permanent cropland n/a 55,808
sq mi
Permanent cropland share n/a 4.86%
Permanent cropland area rank n/a 3/192
Water area 839
sq mi
121,264
sq mi
Water as share of total area 2.11% 9.55%
Water area rank 93/197 4/197
Roads length 8,014
mi
4,112,172
mi
Land borders length 0
mi
8,630
mi
Coastline length 3,088
mi
4,350
mi
Share of marine protected waters 0.5% 0.3%

Iceland vs India size on the map

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

GeoRank.org/size/iceland/india | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of Iceland and India 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.