This Is the Least Densely Populated Country in the World

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50. Kyrgyzstan
> Population density: 89 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 6,591,600 — #110 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 74,054 square miles — #87 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: 10.7%

Officially the Kyrgyz Republic, but commonly known as Kyrgyzstan, the Central Asian, landlocked country consists of mostly mountainous terrain. The capital of Bishkek is the most populous city, around than 1 million inhabitants.

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49. Venezuela
> Population density: 83 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 28,435,943 — #50 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 340,561 square miles — #32 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: -5.5%

Venezuela is a geographically diverse country and includes mountains, tropical jungles, river plains, and arid coastal areas. The country’s population has declined by more than 5% as many have fled due to an economic and political crisis, more specifically hyperinflation, food and medicine shortages, as well as violence.

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48. Laos
> Population density: 82 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 7,275,556 — #103 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 89,112 square miles — #80 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: 7.9%

Officially the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Laos is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Laos has mostly mountainous and forested terrain. The country’s working-age population has been growing rapidly, but the country is also facing a decline in mortality as well as in fertility.

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47. Latvia
> Population density: 79 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 1,901,548 — #149 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 23,973 square miles — #122 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: -3.8%

Located on the eatern shore of the Baltic Sea, Latvia is only slightly larger than West Virginia. The most populous city is the capital, Riga, where more than 627,000 people — about a third of the country’s entire population — live.

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46. Estonia
> Population density: 79 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 1,331,057 — #154 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 16,784 square miles — #130 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: 1.2%

One of three Baltic states, Estonia is one of the smallest countries in Europe. It’s a lowland country where the highest point — the Suur Munamägi hill — is just over 1,000 feet above sea level. The country’s population is mostly urban. About half of Estonia’s area is covered in forests.