Algeria at its true size
Algeria covers 2,381,741 km², number 10 of 194 countries by area. Home to 47,435,312 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 2,381,741 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 47,435,312 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 20 per km² |
| Capital | Algiers |
| Local time in Algiers | |
| Time zone | UTC+1 IANA |
| Currency | Algerian dinar (DZD) Wikidata |
| Languages | Arabic, Standard Algerian Berber |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Northern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | OPEC |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +213 |
| Codes | DZ · DZA · 012 |
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Where Algeria ranks
Among the independent states, in 42 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#33 of 19447 million people#10 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#166 of 19420 people per km²#45 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#55 of 19276% urban#4 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#60 of 1922.72 births per woman#43 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#74 of 192+1.32% a year#44 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#79 of 19218.8 births per 1,000 people#47 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#179 of 1924.6 deaths per 1,000 people#54 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#69 of 19229.9% under 15#46 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#104 of 1926.8% aged 65 and over#7 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#109 of 192−0.6 per 1,000 people#28 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#105 of 1900.19 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#41 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#72 of 19276.5 years#2 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#70 of 19119.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#47 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#90 of 1781.66 doctors per 1,000 people#2 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#68 of 14554.4% gross enrolment#1 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#95 of 190an index of 0.763#3 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#106 of 185$5,850 a person#8 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#102 of 18477% online#5 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#99 of 184$18,586 a person#6 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#75 of 187+3.8% a year#33 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#133 of 176+1.4% a year#39 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#27 of 17811.6% of the labour force#15 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#110 of 1789.5% of jobs#49 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#11 of 17832.3% of jobs#3 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#90 of 17858.3% of jobs#10 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#144 of 1840.5% of GDP#46 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#143 of 16816.8% of GDP#39 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#2 of 1558.8% of GDP#1 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#96 of 191115 subscriptions per 100 people#18 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#63 of 1853.98 tonnes a person#4 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#183 of 1921% forest#51 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#183 of 1900.1% renewable#54 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#105 of 19116.5 µg/m³#45 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#166 of 1914.7% of the land protected#45 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#148 of 1903.2% of the land arable#43 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#7 of 176144.8% of its available fresh water#2 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#174 of 18089 mm a year#52 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Algeria’s area, lit up on the map →
- DR Congo1.02×Algeria and DR Congo are almost exactly the same size.
- Saudi Arabia1.06×Algeria is 6% larger than Saudi Arabia.
- Kazakhstan0.87×Algeria is 13% smaller than Kazakhstan.
- Argentina0.86×Algeria is 14% smaller than Argentina.
- Mexico1.21×Algeria is 21% larger than Mexico.
- Indonesia1.25×Algeria is 25% larger than Indonesia.
How many times does Algeria fit into…
- Russia: about 7.2 times
- Canada: about 4.2 times
- United States: about 4.1 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Algeria shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Mount Tahat2,908 m
- Djebel Chélia2,328 m
- Garet el Djenoun2,327 m
- Lalla-Khadîdja2,308 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Algeria. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Algeria
- How big is Algeria?
- Algeria covers 2,381,741 km², which makes it number 10 of 194 countries by area. About 47,435,312 people live there (2025), 20 per km².
- Is Algeria bigger than DR Congo?
- Algeria and DR Congo are almost exactly the same size. Algeria: 2,381,741 km²; DR Congo: 2,344,858 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Algeria?
- Algeria lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Algeria?
- Algeria shares a land border with Libya, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Western Sahara, Tunisia.