Russia vs Western Sahara
Russia is 64.2 times larger than Western Sahara. Western Sahara would fit into Russia about 64 times.
RussiaWestern SaharaRussia moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
64.2×
Russia is 64.2× the area of Western Sahara.
 Russia |  Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 64.2× the area | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 | 266,000 km² |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 14 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 234× the population | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 | 612,0002021 |
| DensityRussia: 3.65× the density | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 | 2.3 / km² |
| Urban population | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Population growth | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Birth rate | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Death rate | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Children under 15 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| People over 65 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Net migration | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Refugees abroad | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Infant mortality | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Doctors | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 | — |
| University enrolment | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $2.56T2025 | — |
| Income group | High income | — |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 | — |
| Jobs in agriculture | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in industry | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in services | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Foreign investment | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptions | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| CO₂ per person | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energy | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 | — |
| Access to electricity | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected land | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 | — |
| Arable land | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 | — |
| Water stress | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Control of corruption | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Homicide rate | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Status disputed |
| Government | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation | —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 | G20, BRICS | — |
| Capital | Moscow | — |
| Currency | Russian ruble (RUB) | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
| Official languages | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +7 | +212 |
| Region | Eastern Europe, Europe | 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. Russia sits at about 66° N and is stretched to 6.06× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why Russia looks so much bigger than it is next to Western Sahara. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Russia bigger than Western Sahara?
- Yes. Russia is 64.2 times larger than Western Sahara. Russia covers 17,075,400 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Western Sahara fit into Russia?
- About 64 times: Russia has 64.2× the area of Western Sahara.
- Why do Russia and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Russia is drawn about 6.06× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why Russia looks so much bigger than it really is next to Western Sahara. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Russia or Western Sahara?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 612,000. Density: Russia 8.4 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².