From glacier-fringed archipelagos to palm-lined atolls, islands come in every imaginable shape and size. But when it comes to sheer numbers of islands, not every country is created equal. The nations that top this list aren’t just tropical destinations or volcanic chains, they’re often places where inland lakes, fjord-laced coastlines, and geological fragmentation have produced thousands of discrete landmasses.
That raises a deceptively simple question: which countries have the most islands? The answer depends not just on geography, but on how you define an island in the first place. Some nations count even the tiniest landmasses that stay above water at high tide; others apply stricter thresholds for minimum size or coastline length. Advances in satellite mapping have also caused numbers to jump in recent years, as previously unrecorded islets are added to official tallies. In short, no two countries count islands the same way, but that doesn’t mean we can’t compare the best available data.
This list draws from figures published by WorldAtlas, which aggregates national-level data from mapping authorities, statistical bureaus, and geospatial surveys. Each country uses its own criteria to define and count islands, some include any landmass surrounded by water at high tide, regardless of size; others impose thresholds based on area or coastline length.
For instance, Sweden counts any landmass larger than 25 square metres, while Japan’s 2023 recount considered only those with a coastline of at least 100 metres. Modern mapping tools have also changed the picture: higher-resolution satellite data has led to significant revisions in some countries’ official totals.
These figures include all natural islands, whether inhabited or not. Artificial islands, offshore rock formations, and sandbanks that disappear at high tide are generally excluded.
The main source for this ranking is WorldAtlas (2020), cross-referenced with 2025 updates from World Population Review. These datasets reflect the most widely cited and reasonably consistent island counts available, with numbers drawn from national records and official land surveys.
Artur Debat
No other country comes close. While fewer than 1,000 are inhabited, Sweden’s intricate network of freshwater and marine islands, many tiny and forested, make it the undisputed leader.
Islands: 267,570
Sumith Nunkham
From Arctic Svalbard to the southern skerries, Norway’s rugged, fjord-lined coast is broken up by an extraordinary number of small islands.