Serbia vs Western Sahara

Western Sahara is 3.01 times larger than Serbia. Serbia would fit into Western Sahara about 3.0 times.

SerbiaWestern SaharaSerbia moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
0.33×
Serbia is 0.33× the area of Western Sahara. Put the other way, Western Sahara is 3.01× the size of Serbia.
SerbiaWestern Sahara
Area88,499 km²266,000 km²
Population6,549,143612,000
Density74 / km²2.3 / km²
CapitalBelgrade
RegionSouthern EuropeNorthern Africa
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours83

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Serbia sits at about 44°N and is stretched to 1.95× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why Serbia 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 Serbia bigger than Western Sahara?
No. Serbia is 3.01 times smaller than Western Sahara. Serbia covers 88,499 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
How many times does Serbia fit into Western Sahara?
About 3.0 times: Western Sahara has 3.01× the area of Serbia.
Why do Serbia and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Serbia is drawn about 1.95× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why Serbia 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, Serbia or Western Sahara?
Serbia: 6,549,143 people against 612,000. Density: Serbia 74 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².