Skip to content

North Korea's area vs Sudan's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

Sudan is 15.3 times bigger by total area compared to North Korea: 710,693 sq mi vs 46,541 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of Sudan is 721,239 sq mi vs 46,491 sq mi for North Korea — a 15.5 times difference in territory size.

  • North Korea ranks 96/197 by total surface area vs 15/197 for Sudan.
  • North Korea occupies 0.08% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 1.25% for Sudan.
  • 21.6% of North Korea's area is agricultural land vs 60.3% in Sudan.
  • N. Korea has 0.05% of the world's agricultural land area — Sudan has 2.36%.
  • 49.6% of N. Korea is covered by forests, compared to 9.55% in Sudan.
  • 0.15% of the world's forests are in North Korea, and 0.44% are in Sudan.

True size map comparison: North Korea vs Sudan

See how North Korea and Sudan 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

North Korea Sudan
Total area 46,541
sq mi
710,693
sq mi
Size difference ratio 1 15.3
Total area rank 96/197 15/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.02% 0.36%
Land area 46,491
sq mi
721,239
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 1 15.5
Land area rank 97/197 15/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.08% 1.25%
Population 26,498,823 50,448,963
Population density 573 ppl/mi² 73.3 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

North Korea Sudan
Forest area 23,036
sq mi
68,892
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 49.6% 9.55%
Forest area rank 70/196 36/196
World's forests share 0.15% 0.44%
Agricultural land area 10,021
sq mi
435,002
sq mi
Agricultural land share 21.6% 60.3%
Agricultural land area rank 109/194 10/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.05% 2.36%
Arable land 8,861
sq mi
81,062
sq mi
Arable land share 19.1% 11.2%
Arable land area rank 79/191 13/191
Permanent cropland 966
sq mi
834
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 2.08% 0.12%
Permanent cropland area rank 77/192 80/192
Water area 50.2
sq mi
0
sq mi
Water as share of total area 0.11% 0%
Water area rank 137/197 192/197
Roads length 15,879
mi
19,263
mi
Land borders length 999
mi
4,237
mi
Coastline length 1,550
mi
530
mi
Share of marine protected waters 0% 17%

North Korea vs Sudan size on the map

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

GeoRank.org/size/north-korea/sudan | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of North Korea and Sudan 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.

Compare countries by 7 more topics

Help us show the world through your eyes

Share a photo of your city and help others discover what it looks like to live there. Your contribution makes our data come alive.

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.