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  3. Marshall Islands vs Papua New Guinea

The Marshall Islands' area vs Papua New Guinea's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

Papua New Guinea is 2,551 times bigger by total area compared to the Marshall Islands: 178,704 sq mi vs 70.1 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of Papua New Guinea is 174,850 sq mi vs 69.5 sq mi for the Marshall Islands — a 2,516 times difference in territory size.

  • The Marshall Islands ranks 191/197 by total surface area vs 53/197 for Papua New Guinea.
  • The Marshall Islands occupies 0.0001% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.3% for Papua New Guinea.
  • 38.9% of the Marshall Islands' area is agricultural land vs 3.1% in Papua New Guinea.
  • The Marshall has 0.0001% of the world's agricultural land area — Papua has 0.03%.
  • 52.2% of the Marshall is covered by forests, compared to 79% in Papua.
  • 0.0002% of the world's forests are in the Marshall Islands, and 0.89% are in Papua New Guinea.

True size map comparison: Marshall Islands vs Papua New Guinea

See how the Marshall Islands and Papua New Guinea 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

Marshall Islands Papua New Guinea
Total area 70.1
sq mi 		178,704
sq mi
Size difference ratio 1 2,551
Total area rank 191/197 53/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.00004% 0.09%
Land area 69.5
sq mi 		174,850
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 1 2,516
Land area rank 191/197 54/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.0001% 0.3%
Population 37,548 10,576,502
Population density 504 ppl/mi² 62.6 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

Marshall Islands Papua New Guinea
Forest area 36.3
sq mi 		138,051
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 52.2% 79%
Forest area rank 179/196 19/196
World's forests share 0.0002% 0.89%
Agricultural land area 27
sq mi 		5,425
sq mi
Agricultural land share 38.9% 3.1%
Agricultural land area rank 183/194 132/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.0001% 0.03%
Arable land 1.93
sq mi 		1,274
sq mi
Arable land share 2.78% 0.73%
Arable land area rank 188/191 134/191
Permanent cropland 25.1
sq mi 		3,417
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 36.1% 1.95%
Permanent cropland area rank 157/192 40/192
Water area 0.55
sq mi 		3,853
sq mi
Water as share of total area 0.79% 2.16%
Water area rank 157/197 47/197
Roads length 1,260
mi 		5,809
mi
Land borders length 0
mi 		512
mi
Coastline length 230.2
mi 		3,201
mi
Share of marine protected waters 0.3% 0.1%

Marshall Islands vs Papua New Guinea size on the map

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

GeoRank.org/size/marshall-islands/papua-new-guinea | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of the Marshall Islands and Papua New Guinea 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.