Bahamas at its true size
Bahamas covers 13,878 km², number 157 of 194 countries by area. Home to 403,033 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 13,878 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 403,033 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 29 per km² |
| Capital | Nassau |
| Local time in Nassau | |
| Time zone | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 IANA |
| Currency | Bahamian dollar (BSD) Wikidata |
| Languages | English |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Caribbean, North America |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +1 242 |
| Codes | BS · BHS · 044 |
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Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated hourly · Temperatures on the map
Where Bahamas ranks
Among the independent states, in 38 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#171 of 194403,033 people#16 of 23 in North America
- Population density#154 of 19429 people per km²#21 of 23 in North America
- Urban population#38 of 19281% urban#2 of 23 in North America
- Fertility rate#162 of 1921.37 births per woman#20 of 23 in North America
- Population growth#134 of 192+0.44% a year#13 of 23 in North America
- Birth rate#129 of 19210.8 births per 1,000 people#18 of 23 in North America
- Death rate#57 of 1928.8 deaths per 1,000 people#8 of 23 in North America
- Children under 15#135 of 19217.5% under 15#16 of 23 in North America
- People over 65#71 of 19212.1% aged 65 and over#11 of 23 in North America
- Net migration#36 of 192+2.3 per 1,000 people#3 of 23 in North America
- Refugees abroad#32 of 1903.96 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#5 of 23 in North America
Health & education
Economy
- GNI per capita#31 of 185$37,020 a person#3 of 22 in North America
- Internet users#41 of 18493% online#3 of 23 in North America
- GDP per capita (PPP)#55 of 184$41,258 a person#4 of 22 in North America
- GDP growth#89 of 187+3.4% a year#9 of 23 in North America
- Inflation#138 of 176+1.1% a year#14 of 22 in North America
- Unemployment#39 of 1789.2% of the labour force#4 of 19 in North America
- Jobs in agriculture#175 of 1780.8% of jobs#19 of 19 in North America
- Jobs in industry#138 of 17814.8% of jobs#18 of 19 in North America
- Jobs in services#5 of 17884.4% of jobs#1 of 19 in North America
- Foreign investment#110 of 1841.5% of GDP#15 of 23 in North America
- Exports#78 of 16837.8% of GDP#8 of 15 in North America
- Mobile subscriptions#133 of 19197 subscriptions per 100 people#15 of 23 in North America
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#71 of 1853.64 tonnes a person#5 of 23 in North America
- Forest area#46 of 19251% forest#9 of 23 in North America
- Renewable energy#173 of 1901.1% renewable#21 of 23 in North America
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 23 in North America
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#181 of 1915.3 µg/m³#23 of 23 in North America
- Protected land#24 of 19134.6% of the land protected#2 of 23 in North America
- Arable land#173 of 1900.8% of the land arable#23 of 23 in North America
- Precipitation#70 of 1801,292 mm a year#19 of 23 in North America
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of the Bahamas’s area, lit up on the map →
- Montenegro1.0×Bahamas and Montenegro are almost exactly the same size.
- Timor-Leste0.93×Bahamas is 7% smaller than Timor-Leste.
- Vanuatu1.14×Bahamas is 14% larger than Vanuatu.
- Qatar1.21×Bahamas is 21% larger than Qatar.
- Gambia1.23×Bahamas is 23% larger than Gambia.
- Eswatini0.8×Bahamas is 20% smaller than Eswatini.
How many times does Bahamas fit into…
- Russia: about 1230 times
- Canada: about 719 times
- United States: about 708 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Bahamas 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 Alvernia63 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Bahamas. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Questions about Bahamas
- How big is Bahamas?
- Bahamas covers 13,878 km², which makes it number 157 of 194 countries by area. About 403,033 people live there (2025), 29 per km².
- Is Bahamas bigger than Montenegro?
- Bahamas and Montenegro are almost exactly the same size. Bahamas: 13,878 km²; Montenegro: 13,883 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Bahamas?
- Bahamas 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.
- Does Bahamas have land borders?
- No. Bahamas has no land neighbours; every border is a coastline.