40. Somalia
> Population density: 66 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 15,893,219 — #72 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 242,217 square miles — #42 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: 15.2%
The coastal nation of Somalia is located in eastern Africa at the Horn of Africa. An estimated 60% of the country’s population lives a nomadic lifestyle. Another 25% is thought to be made up of farmers, and the rest of the Somali population lives in urban cities. Somalia’s population is projected to rapidly increase and reach 75 million by the end of the century.
39. Vanuatu
> Population density: 65 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 307,150 — #176 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 4,707 square miles — #158 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: 13.3%
Vanuatu consists of a group of 83 islands in the South Pacific Ocean, between Fiji and New Caledonia. There are three official languages — English, French, and Melanesian pidgin — though more than 100 local languages and dialects are spoken.
38. Zambia
> Population density: 64 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 18,383,956 — #64 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 287,024 square miles — #38 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: 15.8%
Much of the population of the landlocked country in Southern Africa lives in Zimbabwe’s most developed region, which is known as the Line of Rail. The area links the capital city, Lusaka in central Zambia with Copperbelt, a mining region. Zambia has one of the world’s fastest growing populations. The U.N. is projecting that its population will triple by 2050.
37. Solomon Islands
> Population density: 64 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 686,878 — #164 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 10,807 square miles — #141 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: 13.9%
The Solomon Islands, a nation made up of islands in the South Pacific, is slightly larger than Maryland. The country has lost five reef islands because of sea level rise and erosion caused by climate change, according to a 2016 study published in Environmental Research Letters.
36. Sudan
> Population density: 61 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 43,849,269 — #35 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 713,993 square miles — #15 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: 12.7%
Located in Northeast Africa at the southern edge of the Sahara desert, Sudan is the continent’s largest county by total area. Sudan’s population is sparse and unevenly distributed, largely due to the large amount of uninhabitable desert covering the country. Much of the population lives in large cities along the Nile River.
