35. Bhutan
> Population density: 52 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 771,612 — #163 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 14,726 square miles — #133 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: 6.0%
The landlocked Himalayan country of Bhutan is roughly the size of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined. Bhutan has imposed self-isolation for centuries and even though it has been opening up slowly since the ’70s, it remains relatively isolated.
34. Uruguay
> Population density: 51 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 3,473,727 — #131 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 67,576 square miles — #90 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: 1.8%
Uruguay is South America’s second-smallest country by total area, bordered by Brazil and Argentina to its west through the northeast and the Atlantic Ocean to its southeast. Uruguay’s capital city, Montevideo, located along the Montevideo Bay, is the country’s most populous. About 1.3 million people live there.
33. Papua New Guinea
> Population density: 51 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 8,947,027 — #97 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 174,850 square miles — #54 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: 10.4%
Papua New Guinea is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, just north of Australia. The western half of the island is part of Indonesia. Though the country has a population of nearly 9 million people, there are no cities with more than 300,000 inhabitants. The largest city is the capital, Port Moresby, where just under 284,000 people live.
32. New Zealand
> Population density: 50 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 5,084,300 — #121 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 101,665 square miles — #75 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: 10.3%
New Zealand is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. The country is made up of two major islands — South and North. More people live in Auckland, the country’s capital located in the North, than in the entire South Island — 1.5 million compared to 1.0 million.
31. Niger
> Population density: 49 people per square mile
> Est. population 2020: 24,206,636 — #56 out of 217 countries
> Land area: 489,075 square miles — #20 out of 217 countries
> Population growth, 2015-2020: 21.0%
Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa. Much of the country, however, is uninhabitable because of its location in the southern Sahara and the lack of rainfall. About 85% of Niger’s population of 24 million people lives in cities along the southern border with Nigeria, Benin, and Burkina Faso.
