Home / All Bamwor Indexes / IBDA — Bamwor Settlement Density Index What this index measures The Settlement Density Index measures how many distinct populated places (cities, towns, villages) exist per 1,000 km² of a country’s land area. Unlike population density (people per km²), this metric reveals the spatial distribution pattern of human settlements. A high value indicates a landscape dense with communities, while a low value suggests vast unpopulated areas between settlements.
Methodology Count all populated places (feature_class=‘P’ in GeoNames) for each country. Divide by the country’s land area in km² (from CIA World Factbook). Multiply by 1,000.
Formula IBDA = (populated_places_count / area_sq_km) × 1,000Variables used Number of populated places (GeoNames, feature_class=P) Country land area in km² (CIA World Factbook) How to interpret Higher values indicate a densely settled landscape with communities spread across the territory. Lower values indicate vast distances between settlements.
Limitations GeoNames records vary in granularity between countries. Some countries may have more thorough coverage than others. Area values use total land area, not habitable area.
Full Ranking Rank Country Settlements Area (km²) IBDA
1 Coral Sea Islands 19,231 3 6410333.33 4 Monaco 12 2 6000.00 5 Gaza, Gaza Strip 1,269 360 3525.00 6 Guernsey 262 78 3358.97 7 Liechtenstein 361 160 2256.25 8 Sint Maarten 62 34 1823.53 9 Wake Island 11 7 1571.43 10 Gibraltar 10 7 1428.57 11 Barbados 588 430 1367.44 12 Saint Martin 62 50 1240.00 13 Hong Kong 1,342 1,108 1211.19 15 Tuvalu 27 26 1038.46 16 Aruba 172 180 955.56 18 Malta 287 316 908.23 19 Grenada 300 344 872.09 20 Montserrat 81 102 794.12 21 Jersey 85 116 732.76 22 Nauru 15 21 714.29 24 Cabo Verde 2,724 4,033 675.43 26 American Samoa 149 224 665.18 27 South Korea 62,752 99,720 629.28 29 Nepal 87,788 147,181 596.46 31 Bermuda 31 54 574.07 32 Saint Lucia 337 616 547.08 33 Singapore 387 719 538.25 34 Anguilla 45 91 494.51 36 Taiwan 16,102 35,980 447.53 39 Tokelau 5 12 416.67 41 Belgium 12,669 30,528 415.00 42 Haiti 10,946 27,750 394.45 43 San Marino 24 61 393.44 44 Rwanda 10,260 26,338 389.55 45 Maldives 116 298 389.26 46 Lebanon 3,718 10,400 357.50 47 Jamaica 3,867 10,991 351.83 48 Bangladesh 49,052 148,460 330.41 49 Slovenia 6,641 20,273 327.58 50 Macau 9 28 321.43 51 Switzerland 13,198 41,277 319.74 52 Lithuania 20,795 65,300 318.45 54 Montenegro 4,041 13,812 292.57 55 North Korea 34,493 120,538 286.16 56 Mauritius 561 2,040 275.00 57 Puerto Rico 2,499 9,104 274.49 58 Sri Lanka 17,855 65,610 272.14 59 Luxembourg 692 2,586 267.59 60 Kiribati 207 811 255.24 61 Burundi 6,977 27,830 250.70 62 Austria 20,913 83,871 249.35 63 Kosovo 2,603 10,887 239.09 64 Guam 130 544 238.97 65 Cook Islands 56 236 237.29 66 El Salvador 4,888 21,041 232.31 67 Timor-Leste 3,419 14,874 229.86 68 Germany 81,666 357,022 228.74 69 Curacao 99 444 222.97 70 West Bank 1,269 5,860 216.55 71 Czechia 16,613 78,867 210.65 72 Italy 62,991 301,340 209.04 73 Croatia 11,631 56,594 205.52 74 Sierra Leone 14,401 71,740 200.74 75 Tonga 149 747 199.46 76 Pakistan 150,390 796,095 188.91 77 Niue 49 260 188.46 78 Palau 86 459 187.36 79 Netherlands 7,729 41,543 186.05 80 Portugal 16,611 92,090 180.38 81 The Gambia 2,037 11,300 180.27 82 United Kingdom 43,712 243,610 179.43 83 Comoros 394 2,235 176.29 84 Panama 13,267 75,420 175.91 85 Dominica 132 751 175.77 86 Ireland 12,159 70,273 173.03 87 Hungary 16,015 93,028 172.15 88 Thailand 87,253 513,120 170.04 89 India 557,951 3,287,263 169.73 90 Denmark 7,286 43,094 169.07 91 Bahrain 124 760 163.16 92 The Dominican 7,938 48,670 163.10 93 Vanuatu 1,921 12,189 157.60 94 Estonia 7,091 45,228 156.78 95 Guatemala 16,981 108,889 155.95 96 Albania 4,447 28,748 154.69 97 Yemen 81,303 527,968 153.99 98 Andorra 72 468 153.85 99 Poland 47,903 312,685 153.20 100 Philippines 44,372 300,000 147.91 101 Mexico 288,038 1,964,375 146.63 102 Samoa 408 2,831 144.12 104 Indonesia 258,053 1,904,569 135.49 105 Japan 50,799 377,915 134.42 106 Faroe Islands 185 1,393 132.81 107 Belarus 26,536 207,600 127.82 108 France 81,594 643,801 126.74 109 Vietnam 41,943 331,210 126.64 110 Cuba 14,023 110,860 126.49 111 Serbia 9,514 77,474 122.80 112 Fiji 2,241 18,274 122.63 113 Latvia 7,787 64,589 120.56 114 Virgin Islands 228 1,910 119.37 115 Guinea-Bissau 4,296 36,125 118.92 116 Greece 15,554 131,957 117.87 117 Honduras 12,964 112,090 115.66 118 Costa Rica 5,897 51,100 115.40 120 Armenia 3,278 29,743 110.21 121 Seychelles 50 455 109.89 122 North Macedonia 2,773 25,713 107.84 123 Solomon Islands 3,078 28,896 106.52 124 Slovakia 5,061 49,035 103.21 126 French Polynesia 408 4,167 97.91 127 China 886,766 9,596,960 92.40 129 Cyprus 822 9,251 88.86 130 Finland 29,232 338,145 86.45 131 Israel 1,844 21,937 84.06 133 Burma 53,043 676,578 78.40 134 Georgia 5,416 69,700 77.70 135 Romania 18,248 238,391 76.55 136 Isle of Man 43 572 75.17 137 Equatorial Guinea 2,085 28,051 74.33 138 Togo 4,213 56,785 74.19 139 Turkey 54,516 783,562 69.57 140 Malawi 7,980 118,484 67.35 141 Ghana 15,997 238,533 67.06 142 Nigeria 61,423 923,768 66.49 143 Malaysia 21,626 329,847 65.56 144 Morocco 46,944 716,550 65.51 145 Bulgaria 7,240 110,879 65.30 146 Laos 15,211 236,800 64.24 147 Sweden 28,465 450,295 63.21 148 Syria 11,741 187,437 62.64 149 Cambodia 11,222 181,035 61.99 150 Azerbaijan 5,298 86,600 61.18 151 Spain 30,891 505,370 61.13 152 Senegal 11,373 196,722 57.81 153 Liberia 6,325 111,369 56.79 154 Ukraine 33,534 603,550 55.56 155 Iraq 23,819 438,317 54.34 157 Moldova 1,814 33,851 53.59 160 Afghanistan 32,572 652,230 49.94 161 Iran 81,883 1,648,195 49.68 162 Uganda 11,455 241,038 47.52 164 Norway 13,817 323,802 42.67 165 Madagascar 24,174 587,041 41.18 166 Eswatini 702 17,364 40.43 167 Ecuador 11,458 283,561 40.41 168 New Caledonia 741 18,575 39.89 169 Brunei 226 5,765 39.20 170 Côte d'Ivoire 12,076 322,463 37.45 171 Burkina Faso 10,219 274,200 37.27 172 Peru 47,485 1,285,216 36.95 173 Benin 3,758 112,622 33.37 174 Colombia 35,699 1,138,910 31.34 175 Cameroon 14,374 475,440 30.23 177 Mozambique 22,688 799,380 28.38 178 Venezuela 25,539 912,050 28.00 179 Guinea 6,812 245,857 27.71 180 Jan Mayen 10 377 26.53 181 The Bahamas 354 13,880 25.50 182 Papua New Guinea 11,622 462,840 25.11 183 Qatar 275 11,586 23.74 184 Bolivia 25,804 1,098,581 23.49 185 Belize 528 22,966 22.99 186 Nicaragua 2,985 130,370 22.90 188 United States 193,755 9,833,517 19.70 189 Jordan 1,756 89,342 19.65 190 Tajikistan 2,799 144,100 19.42 191 Oman 5,997 309,500 19.38 192 Uzbekistan 8,011 447,400 17.91 193 Zambia 12,879 752,618 17.11 194 Congo (Brazzaville) 5,807 342,000 16.98 195 Paraguay 6,862 406,752 16.87 196 DRC 37,231 2,344,858 15.88 197 Angola 19,690 1,246,700 15.79 198 Gabon 3,936 267,667 14.70 199 Tunisia 2,245 163,610 13.72 200 Lesotho 400 30,355 13.18 201 Kyrgyzstan 2,555 199,951 12.78 202 Mali 15,607 1,240,192 12.58 203 Egypt 12,086 1,001,450 12.07 204 Kenya 6,956 580,367 11.99 205 Russia 203,157 17,098,242 11.88 206 Eritrea 1,367 117,600 11.62 207 New Zealand 3,039 268,838 11.30 208 South Africa 13,527 1,219,090 11.10 209 Ethiopia 11,113 1,104,300 10.06 210 Chile 6,964 756,102 9.21 212 Brazil 72,391 8,515,770 8.50 213 South Sudan 5,341 644,329 8.29 214 Tanzania 7,758 947,300 8.19 215 Mauritania 7,653 1,030,700 7.43 216 Kuwait 127 17,818 7.13 217 Somalia 4,510 637,657 7.07 218 Bhutan 253 38,394 6.59 219 Uruguay 1,089 176,215 6.18 220 Zimbabwe 2,100 390,757 5.37 221 Argentina 14,884 2,780,400 5.35 222 Kazakhstan 13,562 2,724,900 4.98 224 Sudan 8,134 1,861,484 4.37 225 Guyana 906 214,969 4.21 226 Namibia 2,914 824,292 3.54 227 Algeria 8,333 2,381,740 3.50 228 Suriname 549 163,820 3.35 229 Botswana 1,820 581,730 3.13 230 Turkmenistan 1,477 488,100 3.03 231 Djibouti 70 23,200 3.02 232 Australia 19,231 7,741,220 2.48 233 Saudi Arabia 5,116 2,149,690 2.38 234 Canada 21,561 9,984,670 2.16 235 Iceland 117 103,000 1.14 237 Mongolia 1,540 1,564,116 0.98 238 Libya 909 1,759,540 0.52 240 Western Sahara 36 266,000 0.14 241 Greenland 255 2,166,086 0.12 How to cite this index Bamwor. "IBDA — Bamwor Settlement Density Index." https://bamwor.com/en/indexes/settlement-density-index. Accessed 2026-03-10. Data: CIA World Factbook, GeoNames. Updated Q1 2026.Data Sources CIA World Factbook — Country population and area data (public domain).GeoNames — City population data, administrative divisions (CC BY 4.0).
