Nauru vs Vatican City
Nauru is 42.9 times larger than Vatican City. Vatican City would fit into Nauru about 43 times.
NauruVatican CityNauru moved onto Vatican City · Equal-area projection
42.9×
Nauru is 42.9× the area of Vatican City.
 Nauru |  Vatican City | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNauru: 42.9× the area | 21 km²#192 of 194 | 0.49 km²#194 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 1 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNauru: 13.6× the population | 12,025#193 of 194 · 2025 | 882#194 of 194 · 2024 |
| DensityVatican City: 3.14× the density | 573 / km²#11 of 194 | 1,800 / km²#5 of 194 |
| Urban population | 100%#1 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 3.29 per woman#47 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Population growth | +0.65%#116 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Birth rate | 24.6 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Death rate | 7.6 per 1,000#83 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Children under 15 | 37.2%#39 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| People over 65 | 3.0%#171 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Net migration | −10.1 per 1,000#183 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Refugees abroad | 0.42 per 1,000#77 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | 62.3 years#177 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Infant mortality | 7.7 per 1,000 births#126 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.703#123 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $20,690#52 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $176M2025 | — |
| Income group | High income | — |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $14,200#112 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +2.1%#127 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Foreign investment | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 61.8% of GDP#33 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 83%#86 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptions | 87 per 100#145 of 191 · 2022 | — |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 0% of land#189 of 192 · 2023 | — |
| CO₂ per person | 0.00 t a year#183 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energy | 1.9%#168 of 190 · 2022 | — |
| Access to electricity | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 4.8 µg/m³#185 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected land | 0.0% of land#188 of 191 · 2025 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | +1.22#19 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Control of corruption | +0.46#63 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Absolute monarchyecclesiastical elective monarchy; self-described as an "absolute monarchy" |
| Capital | Yaren District | Vatican City |
| Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | English, Nauruan | Latin, Italian |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+12 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +674 | +379 |
| Region | Micronesia, Oceania | Southern Europe, Europe |
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. Nauru sits at about 1° S and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Vatican City at 42° N is stretched to 1.81×. That difference is why Vatican City looks so much bigger than it is next to Nauru. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Nauru bigger than Vatican City?
- Yes. Nauru is 42.9 times larger than Vatican City. Nauru covers 21 km² and Vatican City covers 0.49 km².
- How many times does Vatican City fit into Nauru?
- About 43 times: Nauru has 42.9× the area of Vatican City.
- Why do Nauru and Vatican City look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Nauru is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Vatican City about 1.81×. That is why Vatican City looks so much bigger than it really is next to Nauru. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Nauru or Vatican City?
- Nauru: 12,025 people against 882. Density: Nauru 573 per km², Vatican City 1,800 per km².
- What kind of government do Nauru and Vatican City have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Nauru: parliamentary republic; Vatican City: absolute monarchy.