Land area in square kilometers in Canada
Canada: Land area in square kilometers was 8.79 million sq. km in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
8.79 million sq. km
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
4th
of 215 countries
All-time high
8.97 million sq. km
in 1961
All-time low
8.79 million sq. km
in 2021
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land area in square kilometers in Canada, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in sq. km.
Analysis
Canada recorded 8.79 million sq. km for land area in square kilometers in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land area in square kilometers in Canada peaked at 8.97 million sq. km in 1961 and was at its lowest, 8.79 million sq. km, in 2021.
That places Canada 4th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Land area in square kilometers in Canada, year by year
| Year | sq. km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 8.97 million sq. km | — |
| 1962 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 8.97 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 8.79 million sq. km | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 8.79 million sq. km | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8.79 million sq. km | +0.0% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 8.79 million sq. km is above the median for high income countries, which is 30,494 sq. km, 288.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.97 million sq. km | 8.97 million sq. km | 8.97 million sq. km | 9 |
| 1970s | 8.97 million sq. km | 8.97 million sq. km | 8.97 million sq. km | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.97 million sq. km | 8.97 million sq. km | 8.97 million sq. km | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.97 million sq. km | 8.97 million sq. km | 8.97 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.97 million sq. km | 8.97 million sq. km | 8.97 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.97 million sq. km | 8.97 million sq. km | 8.97 million sq. km | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.83 million sq. km | 8.79 million sq. km | 8.97 million sq. km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 6.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 22.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 99.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.88 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land area in square kilometers in Canada?
- Land area in square kilometers in Canada was 8.79 million sq. km in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land area in square kilometers recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 8.97 million sq. km in 1961.
- What is the lowest land area in square kilometers recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.79 million sq. km in 2021.
- How does Canada rank for land area in square kilometers?
- Canada ranks 4th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land area in square kilometers rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Land area in square kilometers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total land area, measured in square kilometers (km²). Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.