What is the highest surface area recorded in World?

The highest recorded value was 140.59 million sq. km in 2020.

What is the lowest surface area recorded in World?

The lowest recorded value was 139.73 million sq. km in 1994.

Is surface area rising or falling in World?

Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.

Surface area in World

Name: Surface area in World
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)

World: Surface area was 140.54 million sq. km in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)

140.54 million sq. km

Change on year

down 0.0%

All-time high

140.59 million sq. km

in 2020

All-time low

139.73 million sq. km

in 1994

Years of data

1961–2023

Surface area in World, 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

World recorded 140.54 million sq. km for surface area in 2023.

The figure is up 0.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, surface area in World peaked at 140.59 million sq. km in 2020 and was at its lowest, 139.73 million sq. km, in 1994.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	139.74 million sq. km	139.74 million sq. km	139.74 million sq. km	9
1970s	139.73 million sq. km	139.73 million sq. km	139.74 million sq. km	10
1980s	139.73 million sq. km	139.73 million sq. km	139.74 million sq. km	10
1990s	139.75 million sq. km	139.73 million sq. km	139.80 million sq. km	10
2000s	139.83 million sq. km	139.77 million sq. km	140.00 million sq. km	10
2010s	140.28 million sq. km	140.00 million sq. km	140.49 million sq. km	10
2020s	140.56 million sq. km	140.54 million sq. km	140.59 million sq. km	4

More agriculture & rural data for World

Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
Agricultural raw materials imports 1.2% (2024)
Rural population 42.2% (2025)
Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)
Rural population 3.46 billion (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 4.0% (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 4.75 trillion current US$ (2025)
Land under cereal production 415.70 million hectares (2024)
Cereal yield 3,955 kg per hectare (2024)
Cereal production 1.64 billion metric tons (2024)

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is surface area in World?: Surface area in World was 140.54 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 World?: The highest recorded value was 140.59 million sq. km in 2020.
What is the lowest surface area recorded in World?: The lowest recorded value was 139.73 million sq. km in 1994.
Is surface area rising or falling in World?: Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this World 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.