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  3. Papua New Guinea vs South Korea

Papua New Guinea's area vs South Korea's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

Papua New Guinea is 4.61 times bigger by total area compared to South Korea: 178,704 sq mi vs 38,724 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of Papua New Guinea is 174,850 sq mi vs 37,684 sq mi for South Korea — a 4.64 times difference in territory size.

  • Papua New Guinea ranks 53/197 by total surface area vs 107/197 for South Korea.
  • Papua New Guinea occupies 0.3% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.07% for South Korea.
  • 3.1% of Papua New Guinea's area is agricultural land vs 16.1% in South Korea.
  • Papua has 0.03% of the world's agricultural land area — S. Korea has 0.03%.
  • 79% of Papua is covered by forests, compared to 64.1% in S. Korea.
  • 0.89% of the world's forests are in Papua New Guinea, and 0.15% are in South Korea.

True size map comparison: Papua New Guinea vs South Korea

See how Papua New Guinea and South Korea 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

Papua New Guinea South Korea
Total area 178,704
sq mi 		38,724
sq mi
Size difference ratio 4.61 1
Total area rank 53/197 107/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.09% 0.02%
Land area 174,850
sq mi 		37,684
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 4.64 1
Land area rank 54/197 105/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.3% 0.07%
Population 10,576,502 51,751,065
Population density 62.6 ppl/mi² 1,371 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

Papua New Guinea South Korea
Forest area 138,051
sq mi 		24,158
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 79% 64.1%
Forest area rank 19/196 67/196
World's forests share 0.89% 0.15%
Agricultural land area 5,425
sq mi 		6,054
sq mi
Agricultural land share 3.1% 16.1%
Agricultural land area rank 132/194 128/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.03% 0.03%
Arable land 1,274
sq mi 		5,622
sq mi
Arable land share 0.73% 14.9%
Arable land area rank 134/191 92/191
Permanent cropland 3,417
sq mi 		792
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 1.95% 2.1%
Permanent cropland area rank 40/192 83/192
Water area 3,853
sq mi 		1,041
sq mi
Water as share of total area 2.16% 2.69%
Water area rank 47/197 85/197
Roads length 5,809
mi 		68,794
mi
Land borders length 512
mi 		147.3
mi
Coastline length 3,201
mi 		1,499
mi
Share of marine protected waters 0.1% 2.2%

Papua New Guinea vs South Korea size on the map

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

GeoRank.org/size/papua-new-guinea/south-korea | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of Papua New Guinea and South Korea 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.