What is the highest surface area recorded in Russia?

The highest recorded value was 17.13 million sq. km in 2020.

What is the lowest surface area recorded in Russia?

The lowest recorded value was 17.10 million sq. km in 1961.

How does Russia rank for surface area?

Russia ranks 1st out of 216 countries with data for 2023.

Is surface area rising or falling in Russia?

Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.

Surface area in Russia

Name: Surface area in Russia
Creator: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

Russia: Surface area was 17.13 million sq. km in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)

17.13 million sq. km

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 216 countries

All-time high

17.13 million sq. km

in 2020

All-time low

17.10 million sq. km

in 1961

Years of data

1961–2023

Surface area in Russia, 1961–2023

Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.

Analysis

Russia recorded 17.13 million sq. km for surface area in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, surface area in Russia peaked at 17.13 million sq. km in 2020 and was at its lowest, 17.10 million sq. km, in 1961.

That places Russia 1st out of 216 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	17.10 million sq. km	17.10 million sq. km	17.10 million sq. km	9
1970s	17.10 million sq. km	17.10 million sq. km	17.10 million sq. km	10
1980s	17.10 million sq. km	17.10 million sq. km	17.10 million sq. km	10
1990s	17.10 million sq. km	17.10 million sq. km	17.10 million sq. km	10
2000s	17.10 million sq. km	17.10 million sq. km	17.10 million sq. km	10
2010s	17.10 million sq. km	17.10 million sq. km	17.10 million sq. km	10
2020s	17.13 million sq. km	17.13 million sq. km	17.13 million sq. km	4

Countries ranked near Russia

2 Canada 15.63 million sq. km compare
3 United States 9.83 million sq. km compare
4 China 9.56 million sq. km compare

See the full ranking of 263 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Russia

Agricultural raw materials exports 2.3% (2021)
Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2021)
Rural population 24.7% (2025)
Rural population growth -0.7% (2025)
Rural population 35.52 million (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.1% (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 78.31 billion current US$ (2025)
Land under cereal production 43.17 million hectares (2023)
Cereal yield 3,167 kg per hectare (2023)
Cereal production 136.71 million metric tons (2023)

All data for Russia →

Frequently asked questions

What is surface area in Russia?: Surface area in Russia was 17.13 million sq. km in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
What is the highest surface area recorded in Russia?: The highest recorded value was 17.13 million sq. km in 2020.
What is the lowest surface area recorded in Russia?: The lowest recorded value was 17.10 million sq. km in 1961.
How does Russia rank for surface area?: Russia ranks 1st out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
Is surface area rising or falling in Russia?: Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Russia data come from?: The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Surface area (sq. km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator: Surface area (sq. km)
Unit: sq. km
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 263 places, 16,395 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.