List of largest empires

A map of the British and Mongol empires at their respective greatest extents
The British Empire (red) and Mongol Empire (blue) were the largest and second-largest empires in history, respectively. The precise extent of the Mongol Empire at its greatest territorial expansion is a matter of debate among scholars.

Several empires in human history have been contenders for the largest of all time, depending on definition and mode of measurement. Possible ways of measuring size include area, population, economy, and power. Of these, area is the most commonly used because it has a fairly precise definition and can be feasibly measured with some degree of accuracy. Estonian political scientist Rein Taagepera, who published a series of academic articles about the territorial extents of historical empires between 1978 and 1997, defined an empire as "any relatively large sovereign political entity whose components are not sovereign" and its size as the area over which the empire has some undisputed military and taxation prerogatives. The list is not exhaustive owing to a lack of available data for several empires; for this reason and because of the inherent uncertainty in the estimates, no rankings are given.

Largest empires by land area

For context, the land area of the Earth, excluding the continent of Antarctica, is 134,740,000 km2 (52,023,000 sq mi).

Empires at their greatest extent

Empire size in this list is defined as the dry land area it controlled at the time, which may differ considerably from the area it claimed. For example: in the year 1800, European powers collectively claimed approximately 20% of the Earth's land surface that they did not effectively control. Where estimates vary, entries are sorted by the lowest estimate. Where more than one entry has the same area, they are listed alphabetically.

Empire Maximum land area
Million km2 Million sq mi % of world Year
British Empire 35.5 13.71 26.35% 1920
Mongol Empire 24.0 9.27 17.81% 1270 or 1309
Russian Empire 22.8 8.80 16.92% 1895
Qing dynasty 14.7 5.68 10.91% 1790
Spanish Empire 13.7 5.29 10.17% 1810
Second French colonial empire 11.5 4.44 8.53% 1920
Abbasid Caliphate 11.1 4.29 8.24% 750
Umayyad Caliphate 11.1 4.29 8.24% 720
Yuan dynasty 11.0 4.25 8.16% 1310
Xiongnu Empire 9.0 3.47 6.68% 176 BC
Empire of Brazil 8.337 3.22 6.19% 1889
Empire of Japan 7.4–8.51 2.86–3.285 5.49%–6.32% 1942
Eastern Han dynasty 6.5 2.51 4.82% 100
Ming dynasty 6.5 2.51 4.82% 1450
Rashidun Caliphate 6.4 2.47 4.75% 655
First Turkic Khaganate 6.0 2.32 4.45% 557
Golden Horde Khanate 6.0 2.32 4.45% 1310
Western Han dynasty 6.0 2.32 4.45% 50 BC
Achaemenid Empire 5.5 2.12 4.08% 500 BC
Second Portuguese Empire 5.5 2.12 4.08% 1820
Tang dynasty 5.4 2.08 4.01% 715
Macedonian Empire 5.2 2.01 3.86% 323 BC
Ottoman Empire 5.2 2.01 3.86% 1683
Northern Yuan dynasty 5.0 1.93 3.71% 1368
Roman Empire 5.0 1.93 3.71% 117
Xin dynasty 4.7 1.81 3.49% 10
Tibetan Empire 4.6 1.78 3.41% 800
Xianbei state 4.5 1.74 3.34% 200
First Mexican Empire 4.429 1.71 3.29% 1821
Timurid Empire 4.4 1.70 3.27% 1405
Fatimid Caliphate 4.1 1.58 3.04% 969
Eastern Turkic Khaganate 4.0 1.54 2.97% 624
Hunnic Empire 4.0 1.54 2.97% 441
Mughal Empire 4.0 1.54 2.97% 1690
Great Seljuq Empire 3.9 1.51 2.89% 1080
Seleucid Empire 3.9 1.51 2.89% 301 BC
Italian Empire 3.825 1.48 2.84% 1941
Ilkhanate 3.75 1.45 2.78% 1310
Dzungar Khanate 3.6 1.39 2.67% 1650
Chagatai Khanate 3.5 1.35 2.60% 1310 or 1350
Sasanian Empire 3.5 1.35 2.60% 550
Western Turkic Khaganate 3.5 1.35 2.60% 630
Western Xiongnu 3.5 1.35 2.60% 20
First French colonial empire 3.4 1.31 2.52% 1670
Ghaznavid Empire 3.4 1.31 2.52% 1029
Maurya Empire 3.4–5.0 1.31–1.93 2.52%–3.71% 261 BC or 250 BC
Delhi Sultanate 3.2 1.24 2.37% 1312
German colonial empire 3.147 1.215 2.34% 1911
Northern Song dynasty 3.1 1.20 2.30% 980
Uyghur Khaganate 3.1 1.20 2.30% 800
Western Jin dynasty 3.1 1.20 2.30% 280
Danish Empire 3.0 1.16 2.23% 1700
Sui dynasty 3.0 1.16 2.23% 589
Safavid empire 2.9 1.12 2.15% 1630
Samanid Empire 2.85 1.10 2.12% 928
Eastern Jin dynasty 2.8 1.08 2.08% 347
Median Empire 2.8 1.08 2.08% 585 BC
Parthian Empire 2.8 1.08 2.08% 1
Rouran Khaganate 2.8 1.08 2.08% 405
Byzantine Empire 2.7–2.8 1.04–1.08 2.00%–2.08% 555 or 450
Indo-Scythian Kingdom 2.6 1.00 1.93% 20
Liao dynasty 2.6 1.00 1.93% 947
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom 2.5 0.97 1.86% 184 BC
Later Zhao 2.5 0.97 1.86% 329
Maratha Confederacy 2.5 0.97 1.86% 1760
Belgian colonial empire 2.366–2.47 0.91–0.95 1.76%–1.83% 1941 or 1939
Jin dynasty (1115–1234) 2.3 0.89 1.71% 1126
Khwarazmian Empire 2.3–3.6 0.89–1.39 1.71%–2.67% 1210 or 1218
Qin dynasty 2.3 0.89 1.71% 220 BC
Dutch Empire 2.1 0.81 1.56% 1938
First French Empire 2.1 0.81 1.56% 1813
Kievan Rus' 2.1 0.81 1.56% 1000
Mamluk Sultanate 2.1 0.81 1.56% 1300 or 1400
Southern Song dynasty 2.1 0.81 1.56% 1127
Third Portuguese Empire 2.1 0.81 1.56% 1900
Almohad Caliphate 2.0–2.3 0.77–0.89 1.48%–1.71% 1200 or 1150
Cao Wei 2.0 0.77 1.48% 263
Former Qin 2.0 0.77 1.48% 376
Former Zhao 2.0 0.77 1.48% 316
Ghurid dynasty 2.0 0.77 1.48% 1200
Inca Empire 2.0 0.77 1.48% 1527
Kushan Empire 2.0–2.5 0.77–0.97 1.48%–1.86% 200
Liu Song dynasty 2.0 0.77 1.48% 450
Northern Wei 2.0 0.77 1.48% 450
Western Roman Empire 2.0 0.77 1.48% 395
Ayyubid dynasty 1.7–2.0 0.66–0.77 1.26%–1.48% 1200 or 1190
Gupta Empire 1.7–3.5 0.66–1.35 1.26%–2.60% 440 or 400
Hephthalite Empire 1.7–4.0 0.66–1.54 1.26%–2.97% 500 or 470
Buyid dynasty 1.6 0.62 1.19% 980
Eastern Wu 1.5 0.58 1.11% 221
Northern Qi 1.5 0.58 1.11% 557
Northern Xiongnu 1.5 0.58 1.11% 60
Northern Zhou 1.5 0.58 1.11% 577
Neo-Assyrian Empire 1.4 0.54 1.04% 670 BC
Eastern Maurya Kingdom 1.3 0.50 0.96% 210 BC
Liang dynasty 1.3 0.50 0.96% 502, 549, or 579
Qajar Empire 1.29 0.50 0.96% 1873
Kingdom of Aksum 1.25 0.48 0.93% 350
Shang dynasty 1.25 0.48 0.93% 1122 BC
Francia 1.2 0.46 0.89% 814
Srivijaya 1.2 0.46 0.89% 1200
Indo-Greek Kingdom 1.1 0.42 0.82% 150 BC
Mali Empire 1.1 0.42 0.82% 1380
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1.1 0.42 0.82% 1480 or 1650
Almoravid dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.74% 1120
Pushyabhuti dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.74% 625 or 648
Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.74% 860
Holy Roman Empire 1.0 0.39 0.74% 1050
Khazar Khanate 1.0–3.0 0.39–1.16 0.74%–2.23% 900 or 850
Khmer Empire 1.0 0.39 0.74% 1290
New Kingdom of Egypt 1.0 0.39 0.74% 1450 BC or 1300 BC
Ptolemaic Kingdom 1.0 0.39 0.74% 301 BC
Qara Khitai 1.0–1.5 0.39–0.58 0.74%–1.11% 1130 or 1210
Scythia 1.0 0.39 0.74% 400 BC
Shu Han 1.0 0.39 0.74% 221
Tahirid dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.74% 800
Western Xia 1.0 0.39 0.74% 1100
Swedish Empire 0.99 0.38 0.73% 1700
Nazi Germany 0.824 0.32 0.61% 1941
Akkadian Empire 0.8 0.31 0.59% 2250 BC
Avar Khaganate 0.8 0.31 0.59% 600
Chu 0.8 0.31 0.59% 300 BC
Huns 0.8 0.31 0.59% 287
Songhai Empire 0.8 0.31 0.59% 1550
Hyksos 0.65 0.25 0.48% 1650 BC
Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt 0.65 0.25 0.48% 550 BC
Rozvi Empire 0.624 0.24 0.46% 1700
Austro-Hungarian Empire 0.62 0.24 0.46% 1905
Caliphate of Córdoba 0.6 0.23 0.45% 1000
First Portuguese Empire 0.6 0.23 0.45% 1580
Visigothic Kingdom 0.6 0.23 0.45% 580
Zhou dynasty 0.55 0.21 0.41% 1100 BC
Sikh Empire 0.52 0.20 0.39% 1839
Emirate of Córdoba 0.5 0.19 0.37% 756
Kosala 0.5 0.19 0.37% 543 BC
Lydia 0.5 0.19 0.37% 585 BC
Magadha 0.5 0.19 0.37% 510 BC
Middle Kingdom of Egypt 0.5 0.19 0.37% 1850 BC
Neo-Babylonian Empire 0.5 0.19 0.37% 562 BC
Satavahana dynasty 0.5 0.19 0.37% 150
Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt 0.5 0.19 0.37% 715 BC
Western Satraps 0.5 0.19 0.37% 100
New Hittite Kingdom 0.45 0.17 0.33% 1250 BC – 1220 BC
Xia dynasty 0.45 0.17 0.33% 1800 BC
Bulgarian Empire 0.4[need quotation to verify] 0.15 0.30% 850[need quotation to verify]
Kingdom of France (Middle Ages) 0.4 0.15 0.30% 1250
Middle Assyrian Empire 0.4 0.15 0.30% 1080 BC
Old Kingdom of Egypt 0.4 0.15 0.30% 2400 BC
Sokoto Caliphate 0.4 0.15 0.30% 1804
Latin Empire 0.35 0.14 0.26% 1204
Ancient Carthage 0.3 0.12 0.22% 220 BC
Indus Valley civilisation 0.3 0.12 0.22% 1800 BC
Mitanni 0.3 0.12 0.22% 1450 BC – 1375 BC
Ashanti Empire 0.25 0.10 0.19% 1820
First Babylonian Empire 0.25 0.10 0.19% 1690 BC
Aztec Empire 0.22 0.08 0.16% 1520
Zulu Empire 0.21 0.08 0.16% 1822
Elamite Empire 0.2 0.08 0.15% 1160 BC
Phrygia 0.2 0.08 0.15% 750 BC
Second Dynasty of Isin 0.2 0.08 0.15% 1130 BC
Urartu 0.2 0.08 0.15% 800 BC
Eastern Zhou 0.15 0.06 0.11% 770 BC
Middle Hittite Kingdom 0.15 0.06 0.11% 1450 BC
Old Assyrian Empire 0.15 0.06 0.11% 1730 BC
Old Hittite Empire 0.15 0.06 0.11% 1530 BC
Oyo Empire 0.15 0.06 0.11% 1680
Bornu Empire 0.13 0.05 0.10% 1892
Larsa 0.1 0.04 0.07% 1750 BC – 1700 BC
Neo-Sumerian Empire 0.1 0.04 0.07% 2000 BC
Tarascan empire 0.075 0.03 0.06% 1450
Lagash 0.05 0.02 0.04% 2400 BC
Sumer 0.05 0.02 0.04% 2400 BC
  1. ^ The largest peak areas of its former colonies following independence were Canada's 9.98 million km2 in 1945, the United States' 9.67 million km2 in 1899, and Australia's 7.68 million km2 in 1945.
  2. ^ The Mongol Empire eventually fractured into four separate khanates: the Yuan dynasty, Chagatai Khanate, Ilkhanate, and Golden Horde. These are listed separately.
  3. ^ Its successor state the USSR and its successor in turn, the Russian Federation, reached maximum extents of 22.3 million km2 in 1945 and 17.1 million km2 in 1991, respectively.
  4. ^ Its successor state the Republic of China (1912–1949) and its successor in turn, the People's Republic of China (since 1949), reached maximum extents of 7.7 million km2 in 1912 and 9.7 million km2 in 1950, respectively.
  5. ^ a b The reason the Empire of Brazil is listed as having a larger area in 1889 than the Portuguese Empire had in 1820, despite Brazil having been a Portuguese colony, is that the Portuguese settlers only had effective control over approximately half of Brazil at the time of Brazilian independence in 1822.
  6. ^ More recent reassessment of the historical evidence, both archaeological and textual, has led modern scholars to question previous notions of the extent of the realm of the Medes and even its existence as a unified state.
  7. ^ The extent to which this constituted a cohesive political entity is uncertain.

Timeline of largest empires to date

The earliest empire which can with certainty be stated to have been larger than all previous empires was that of Upper and Lower Egypt, which covered ten times the area of the previous largest civilisation around the year 3000 BC.

Empire Land area
(million km2)
Year
Upper and Lower Egypt 0.1 3000 BC
Old Kingdom of Egypt 0.25 2850 BC
0.4 2400 BC
Akkadian Empire 0.65 2300 BC
0.8 2250 BC
New Kingdom of Egypt 1.0 1450 BC
Shang dynasty 1.25 1122 BC
Neo-Assyrian Empire 1.4 670 BC
Median Empire 2.8 585 BC
Achaemenid Empire 3.6 539 BC
5.5 500 BC
Xiongnu Empire 9.0 176 BC
Umayyad Caliphate 11.1 720
Mongol Empire 13.5 1227
24.0 1309
British Empire 24.5 1880
35.5 1920
  1. ^ More recent reassessment of the historical evidence, both archaeological and textual, has led modern scholars to question previous notions of the extent of the realm of the Medes and even its existence as a unified state. If the Median Empire never surpassed the size of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, the latter remained the largest empire the world had seen until the Achaemenid Empire surpassed it.

Timeline of largest empires at the time

Empire Land area during time
as largest empire
(million km2)
Approximate period
Upper Egypt 0.1 3000 BC
Old Kingdom of Egypt 0.25–0.4 2800 BC – 2400 BC
Akkadian Empire 0.2–0.6 2300 BC – 2200 BC
Indus Valley Civilisation 0.15 2100 BC
Middle Kingdom of Egypt 0.2–0.5 2000 BC – 1800 BC
Xia dynasty 0.4 1700 BC
Hyksos 0.65 1600 BC
New Kingdom of Egypt 0.65–1.0 1500 BC – 1300 BC
Shang dynasty 0.9–1.1 1250 BC – 1150 BC
New Kingdom of Egypt 0.5–0.6 1100 BC – 1050 BC
Zhou dynasty 0.35–0.45 1000 BC – 900 BC
Neo-Assyrian Empire 0.4–1.4 850 BC – 650 BC
Median Empire 3.0 600 BC
Achaemenid Empire 2.5–5.5 550 BC – 350 BC
Macedonian Empire 5.2 323 BC
Seleucid Empire 4.0 300 BC
Maurya Empire 3.5 250 BC
Han dynasty 2.5 200 BC
Xiongnu Empire 5.7 150 BC
Han dynasty 4.2–6.5 100 BC – 200 AD
Roman Empire 4.4 250350
Sasanian Empire 3.5 400
Hunnic Empire 4.0 450
Sasanian Empire 3.5 500
Göktürk Khaganate 3.0–5.2 550600
Rashidun Caliphate 5.2 650
Umayyad Caliphate 9.0–11.0 700750
Abbasid Caliphate 8.3–11.0 750800
Tibet 2.5–4.7 850950
Song dynasty 3.0 1000
Seljuk Empire 3.0–4.0 10501100
Tibet 2.5 1150
Jin dynasty (1115–1234) 2.3 1200
Mongol Empire 18.0–24.0 12501300
Yuan dynasty 11.0 1350
Timurid Empire 4.0 1400
Ming dynasty 4.7–6.5 14501500
Ottoman Empire 4.3 1550
Tsardom of Russia 6.0–12.0 16001700
Russian Empire 14.0–17.0 17501800
British Empire 23.0–34.0 18501925
Soviet Union 22.5 19501975
  1. ^ The extent to which this constituted a cohesive political entity is uncertain. If the largest empire in the year 2100 BC was not the Indus Valley Civilisation, it was the First Intermediate Period of Egypt with an area of 0.1 million km2.
  2. ^ More recent reassessment of the historical evidence, both archaeological and textual, has led modern scholars to question previous notions of the extent of the realm of the Medes and even its existence as a unified state. If the largest empire in the year 600 BC was not the Median Empire, it was Late Egypt with an area of 0.55 million km2.

Largest empires by share of world population

Because of the trend of increasing world population over time, absolute population figures are for some purposes less relevant for comparison between different empires than their respective shares of the world population at the time. For the majority of the time since roughly 400 BC, the two most populous empires' combined share of the world population has been 30–40%. Most of the time, the most populous empire has been located in China.

Empire Empire population
as percentage of
world population
Year
Qing dynasty 37 1800
Northern Song dynasty 33 1100
Western Han dynasty 32 1
Mongol Empire 31 1290
Roman Empire 30 150
Jin dynasty (266–420) 28 280
Ming dynasty 28 1600
Qin dynasty 24 220 BC
Mughal Empire 24 1700
Tang dynasty 23 900
Delhi Sultanate 23 1350
British Empire 23 1938
Empire of Japan 20 1943
Maurya Empire 19 250 BC
Former Qin 19 376
Northern Zhou 16 580
Macedonian Empire 15 323 BC
Empire of Harsha 15 647
Gupta Empire 13 450
Northern Wei 13 500
Umayyad Caliphate 13 750
Achaemenid Empire 12 450 BC
Former Yan 12 366
Jin dynasty (1115–1234) 12 1200
Nazi Germany 12 1943

See also


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