What Country Has the Most Islands? Surprisingly Not a Tropical One

Sweden leads with more than 267,000 identified islands. Most are uninhabited, but the Stockholm Archipelago alone includes thousands of off-shore identified islands and prominent islets. These include coastal islands, inland islands, and maritime islands scattered across the Baltic Sea.

The number of inhabited islands is much smaller, but many are used for tourism, recreation, or wildlife conservation.

Norway boasts around 239,057 islands, mostly along its rugged coastline. Many are offshore islands marked on nautical maps, with some serving as home to fishing communities. Norway’s high number of maritime islands includes both inhabited island groups and isolated islets near virgin lands and fjords.

Finland follows with nearly 180,000 islands, many found in its eastern parts and inland waterways. Its lake regions feature numerous tiny islands, some marked only on detailed ordnance survey maps.

The number inhabited is modest, but Finland’s islands, especially in the Baltic Sea, are vital for culture and tourism.

Canada’s islands total over 50,000, including some of the world’s largest such as Baffin Island. Canada’s islands range from tiny offshore islands to major Arctic and inland islands.

The country’s total includes many that are only seasonally accessible or may soon no longer exist due to rising sea levels.

Indonesia is an archipelago made up of roughly 17,000 islands, including Java, Sumatra, and Bali.

Indonesia’s islands vary from densely populated urban centers to small uninhabited islets in Southeast Asia. The country includes two main islands with hundreds of smaller ones nearby.

Japan was originally thought to have around 6,800 islands, but a new Japan survey by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan upped the total to over 14,000.

The change was based on more accurate mapping and updated criteria for what is considered an island — completely surrounded by water and naturally formed.

The United States has thousands of islands across its mainland and territories. This includes inland islands, offshore islands, and coastal features.

From the Aleutian chain in Alaska to islands in the Great Lakes, as well as the Hawaiian archipelago and territories like Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, the U.S. counts a broad range of landmasses.

Australia’s mainland is a continent, but it also includes thousands of offshore islands like Tasmania and maritime dependencies like the Antarctic islands.

When overseas dependencies and associated states are included, the number climbs significantly. For example, Australia’s external territories include Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island.

The Philippines has more than 7,600 islands. While not all are inhabited, several like Luzon and Mindanao are major population centers.

The number inhabited fluctuates, especially in regions vulnerable to sea level changes. The islands vary in size from large to tiny, often supporting tourism, beaches, and agriculture.

The UK has thousands of islands, including the main islands like Great Britain and Ireland, as well as offshore islands and tiny islets.

The inclusion of overseas territories and associated states further raises the total. Some islands, like two islands connected by two banks, may no longer exist due to erosion.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.