Animated Map: The Comparative Might of Continents
We’ve come quite a long way since the time of Pangea. Today, the world’s continents are home to over 7.8 billion people, and each one is unique in its own way.
This video from the data visualization tool Vizzu compares the surface area, population, and GDP of the continents—all in terms of their contribution to the world’s total. Let’s dive further into the results of each category.
Click through to source to see the country breakdowns. Antarctica has been excluded from these calculations.
Surface Area: Does Size Matter?
When it comes to sheer land mass, Asia emerges on top with over one-third of the global surface area. On that front, it certainly has a little help from the combined forces of Russia and China, even as the former overlaps Eastern Europe as well.
| Rank | Region | Share of Global Surface Area | Largest Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Asia | 36.5% | 🇷🇺 Russia |
| #2 | Africa | 22.3% | 🇩🇿 Algeria |
| #3 | North America | 17.1% | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| #4 | South America | 13.2% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| #5 | Oceania | 6.4% | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| #6 | Europe | 4.6% | 🇷🇺 Russia |
Africa comes in second, but doesn’t lag behind by much. A stone’s throw from Europe, Algeria is the largest country on the continent—and the 10th largest in the world.
Failing to grasp the true size of Africa is a common mental mistake, as many maps systematically underestimate its scale. The continent could easily fit the entirety of China, India, the U.S., and multiple European countries within its borders.
Population: Packing People Together
Another way to look at things is in terms of the number of inhabitants in each region. Asia is once again on top, with almost two-thirds of the world squeezed onto the continent.
| Rank | Region | Share of Global Population | Most Populous Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Asia | 61.8% | 🇨🇳 China |
| #2 | Africa | 16.1% | 🇳🇬 Nigeria |
| #3 | Europe | 8.2% | 🇷🇺 Russia |
| #4 | North America | 7.7% | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
| #5 | South America | 5.6% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| #6 | Oceania | 0.5% | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Asia’s lead in population is impressive, but it’s a margin that is unlikely to last forever.
By the year 2100—new estimates show the populations India and China could start to dip. Meanwhile Nigeria, which is already Africa’s most populous country with near 196 million people, could potentially quadruple in numbers in the same time frame.
In this metric, Europe also rises to third place. This is thanks again to the approximately 146 million people within Russia. However, if only the countries located completely within the continent are considered, Germany’s population of nearly 84 million would win out.
GDP: Emerging Wealth Overtakes
Finally, economic output—measured in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)—is the most common way to assess the relative prosperity of countries and continents.
At this, the U.S. dominates with $21.4T according to the World Bank, though it swaps places with China which boasts $23.5T when adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP).
| Rank | Region | Share of Global GDP | Richest Country (both nominal and PPP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Asia | 36.9% | 🇨🇳 China |
| #2 | North America | 28.9% | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
| #3 | Europe | 23.9% | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| #4 | South America | 5.1% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| #5 | Africa | 3.1% | 🇳🇬 Nigeria |
| #6 | Oceania | 2.1% | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Source: World Bank for both GDP Nominal and PPP, 2019.
Global wealth share drops sharply between Europe and South America, though it’s worth noting that rising inequality is also hidden under the surface within many high-income regions.
In terms of overall GDP, the Asian continent makes up the lion’s share. Asia is also home to many of the world’s emerging markets—which means there may be an even more pronounced shift of wealth towards the East in coming decades.
