Which sovereign state has the lowest population density?

Which sovereign state has the lowest population density? Mongolia. It is the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign state, with roughly 2.3 people per square kilometre in recent estimates.

Mongolia covers about 1.56 million square kilometres but has a population of only around 3.5 million. Its vast grasslands, mountains and Gobi Desert leave enormous areas with very few permanent settlements. Pastoral nomadism has long shaped this pattern: herding families traditionally move seasonally rather than cluster in large agricultural villages.

The capital, Ulaanbaatar, is the major exception. Roughly half of Mongolia’s population lives in or around the capital, making it far denser than the countryside. This concentration is driven by jobs, education, healthcare and continuing rural-to-urban migration.

A common mix-up is Greenland, whose density is lower, but Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark rather than a sovereign state. Australia, Canada and Namibia are also sparsely populated, but each has a higher national density than Mongolia.