Algeria vs Western Sahara
Algeria is 8.95 times larger than Western Sahara. Western Sahara would fit into Algeria about 9.0 times.
AlgeriaWestern SaharaAlgeria moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
8.95×
Algeria is 8.95× the area of Western Sahara.
 Algeria |  Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAlgeria: 8.95× the area | 2,381,741 km²#10 of 194 | 266,000 km² |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 7 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationAlgeria: 77.5× the population | 47,435,312#33 of 194 · 2025 | 612,0002021 |
| DensityAlgeria: 8.66× the density | 20 / km²#166 of 194 | 2.3 / km² |
| Urban population | 76%#55 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 2.72 per woman#60 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Population growth | +1.32%#74 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Birth rate | 18.8 per 1,000#79 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Death rate | 4.6 per 1,000#179 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Children under 15 | 29.9%#69 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| People over 65 | 6.8%#104 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Net migration | −0.6 per 1,000#109 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Refugees abroad | 0.19 per 1,000#105 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | 76.5 years#72 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Infant mortality | 19.5 per 1,000 births#70 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Doctors | 1.66 per 1,000#90 of 178 · 2022 | — |
| University enrolment | 54.4%#68 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.763#95 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $5,850#106 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $287.03B2025 | — |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | — |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $18,586#99 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +3.8%#75 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +1.4%#133 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 11.6%#27 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in agriculture | 9.5% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in industry | 32.3% of jobs#11 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in services | 58.3% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Foreign investment | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 16.8% of GDP#143 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 8.8% of GDP#2 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 77%#102 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptions | 115 per 100#96 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 1% of land#183 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| CO₂ per person | 3.98 t a year#63 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energy | 0.1%#183 of 190 · 2021 | — |
| Access to electricity | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 16.5 µg/m³#105 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected land | 4.7% of land#166 of 191 · 2025 | — |
| Arable land | 3.2% of land#148 of 190 · 2024 | — |
| Water stress | 144.8%#7 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 89 mm#174 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | −0.66#153 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Control of corruption | −0.53#122 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Homicide rate | 1.2 per 100,000#97 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Status disputed |
| Government | Presidential republic | —legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ until his death in May 2016; current President Brahim GHALI elected in July 2016; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976 when Spain withdrew, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; Morocco between 1980 and 1987 built a fortified sand berm delineating the roughly 75% of Western Sahara west of the barrier that currently is controlled by Morocco; guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) |
| Member of | OPEC | — |
| Capital | Algiers | — |
| Currency | Algerian dinar (DZD) | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Standard Algerian Berber | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +213 | +212 |
| Region | Northern Africa, Africa | Northern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Algeria sits at about 28° N and is stretched to 1.28× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Algeria bigger than Western Sahara?
- Yes. Algeria is 8.95 times larger than Western Sahara. Algeria covers 2,381,741 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Western Sahara fit into Algeria?
- About 9.0 times: Algeria has 8.95× the area of Western Sahara.
- Why do Algeria and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Algeria is drawn about 1.28× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Algeria or Western Sahara?
- Algeria: 47,435,312 people against 612,000. Density: Algeria 20 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².