List of largest empires — Safekipedia Discoverer

Several empires in human history have been considered the largest of all time, depending on how size is defined and measured. Size can be measured by area, population, economy, or power.

Area is the most commonly used measure because it has a fairly precise definition and can be measured with some accuracy. Even so, it has limits. Empires' borders are hard to define, since imperial control was often indirect. Some areas were nominally controlled by an empire but were sparsely inhabited, or even empty, and were not really ruled.

Estonian political scientist Rein Taagepera published a series of academic articles between 1978 and 1997 about the territory of historical empires, and a book in 2024. He defined an empire in this context as "any relatively large sovereign political entity whose components are not sovereign." He described an empire's size as the area where it had some undisputed military and taxation powers.

This list is not complete, because there is a lack of data for several empires. For this reason, and because the estimates are uncertain, 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). Empire size in this list is the dry land an empire controlled at the time. This can be very different from the area it claimed. For example, in the year 1800, European powers together claimed about 20% of the Earth's land surface that they did not effectively control. Where estimates vary, entries are sorted by the lowest estimate. Entries with the same area are listed alphabetically.

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

Empires by their maximum land area and year
Empire	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
United States	9.5	3.67	7.05%	1900
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
Jochi 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 Seljuk Empire	3.9	1.51	2.89%	1080
Seleucid Empire	3.9	1.51	2.89%	301 BC
Italian Empire	3.798	1.47	2.82%	1938
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 Empire	2.5	0.97	1.86%	1760
Belgian colonial empire	2.47	0.95	1.83%	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
Kingdom of Armenia	0.9	0.35	0.67%	70 BC
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	0.15	0.30%	850
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

Timeline of largest empires
Empire	Million km²	Million sq mi	Year
Upper and Lower Egypt	0.1	0.04	3000 BC
Old Kingdom of Egypt	0.25	0.10	2850 BC
Old Kingdom of Egypt	0.4	0.15	2400 BC
Akkadian Empire	0.65	0.25	2300 BC
Akkadian Empire	0.8	0.31	2250 BC
New Kingdom of Egypt	1.0	0.39	1450 BC
Shang dynasty	1.25	0.48	1122 BC
Neo-Assyrian Empire	1.4	0.54	670 BC
Median Empire	2.8	1.08	585 BC
Achaemenid Empire	3.6	1.39	539 BC
Achaemenid Empire	5.5	2.12	500 BC
Xiongnu Empire	9.0	3.47	176 BC
Umayyad Caliphate	11.1	4.29	720
Mongol Empire	13.5	5.21	1227
Mongol Empire	24.0	9.27	1309
British Empire	24.5	9.46	1880
British Empire	35.5	13.71	1920

Land area during time as largest empire
Empire	Million km²	Million sq mi	Approximate period
Upper Egypt	0.1	0.04	3000 BC
Old Kingdom of Egypt	0.25–0.4	0.10–0.15	2800 BC – 2400 BC
Akkadian Empire	0.2–0.6	0.08–0.23	2300 BC – 2200 BC
Indus Valley Civilisation	0.15	0.06	2100 BC
Middle Kingdom of Egypt	0.2–0.5	0.08–0.19	2000 BC – 1800 BC
Xia dynasty	0.4	0.15	1700 BC
Hyksos	0.65	0.25	1600 BC
New Kingdom of Egypt	0.65–1.0	0.25–0.39	1500 BC – 1300 BC
Shang dynasty	0.9–1.1	0.35–0.42	1250 BC – 1150 BC
New Kingdom of Egypt	0.5–0.6	0.19–0.23	1100 BC – 1050 BC
Zhou dynasty	0.35–0.45	0.14–0.17	1000 BC – 900 BC
Neo-Assyrian Empire	0.4–1.4	0.15–0.54	850 BC – 650 BC
Median Empire	3.0	1.16	600 BC
Achaemenid Empire	2.5–5.5	0.97–2.12	550 BC – 350 BC
Macedonian Empire	5.2	2.01	323 BC
Seleucid Empire	4.0	1.54	300 BC
Maurya Empire	3.5	1.35	250 BC
Han dynasty	2.5	0.97	200 BC
Xiongnu	5.7	2.20	150 BC
Han dynasty	4.2–6.5	1.62–2.51	100 BC – 200 AD
Roman Empire	4.4	1.70	250–350
Sasanian Empire	3.5	1.35	400
Hunnic Empire	4.0	1.54	450
Sasanian Empire	3.5	1.35	500
Göktürk Khaganate	3.0–5.2	1.16–2.01	550–600
Rashidun Caliphate	5.2	2.01	650
Umayyad Caliphate	9.0–11.0	3.47–4.25	700–750
Abbasid Caliphate	8.3–11.0	3.20–4.25	750–800
Tibet	2.5–4.7	0.97–1.81	850–950
Song dynasty	3.0	1.16	1000
Seljuk Empire	3.0–4.0	1.16–1.54	1050–1100
Tibet	2.5	0.97	1150
Jin dynasty (1115–1234)	2.3	0.89	1200
Mongol Empire	18.0–24.0	6.95–9.27	1250–1300
Yuan dynasty	11.0	4.25	1350
Timurid Empire	4.0	1.54	1400
Ming dynasty	4.7–6.5	1.81–2.51	1450–1500
Ottoman Empire	4.3	1.66	1550
Tsardom of Russia	6.0–12.0	2.32–4.63	1600–1700
Russian Empire	14.0–17.0	5.41–6.56	1750–1800
British Empire	23.0–34.0	8.88–13.13	1850–1925
Soviet Union	22.5	8.69	1950–1975

Largest empires by share of world population

Because the world's population has grown over time, the number of people in an empire is not always the best way to compare empires. A better measure is the share of the world's population that lived in each empire at the time. For most of the time since about 400 BC, the two most populous empires together have had 30–40% of the world's people. Most of the time, the most populous empire has been in China.

Empire population as percentage of world population
Empire	Percentage	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

Largest empires by land area

Largest empires by share of world population

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