7 Countries With The Most Islands In The World, Indonesia Is On The List

Illustration of countries with the most islands in the world. (Freepik/nikitabuida)

JAKARTA - The island is one of the most attractive forms of land in the world. Some countries have only one or two large islands, while others have thousands of small islands spread across their territory. However, how to determine which country actually has the most islands?

Although it sounds simple, calculating the number of islands is not an easy matter. Each country has a different definition of what is called an island, as well as a varied method of calculation.

Based on data from WorldAtlas and the 2025 update from the World Population Review, here are 7 countries with the highest number of islands in the world, as reported by the CN Traveller page.

1. Sweden

No other country is close to this figure. Although less than 1,000 islands are inhabited, the complicated network of freshwater and sea islands, many of which are small and forested. This makes Sweden the leader in the largest number of islands in the world. The number of islands is 267,570.

2. Norway

From the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard tocerries in the south, the steep, bay-filled Norwegian coastline, makes it home to hundreds of thousands of small islands. The number is 239,057 islands.

3. Finland

Finland has 178,947 islands. This Scandinavian country has a very fragmented landscape, especially in archipelagic and lake areas.

4. Canada

From the Arctic coast to the Pacific, Canada is filled with large and small islands such as Baftin Island to Vancouver. Many of them are remote and uninhabited. Canada has 52,455 islands.

5. United States

America counts all areas from small islands in Alaska, Florida Keys, to Pacific territories such as Guam and Samoa America. The total islands are 18,617.

6. Indonesia

Indonesia has 17,504 islands. As the largest archipelagic country in the world, Indonesia stretches more than 5,000 km and has thousands of inhabited islands or not, many of which are volcanic. Indonesia is the largest tropical archipelago, and its islands are an important part of national identity.

7. Australia

Although often seen as one large mainland, Australia has many islands, from Tasmania to the Straits of Torres. Australia's total island is 8,222.