List of largest empires

Several empires in human history have been contenders for the largest of all time, depending on how we measure their size. We can measure an empire by its land area, how many people lived in it, its wealth, or its power. Land area is often used because it can be measured more precisely than the other factors.

One scholar, Rein Taagepera, studied the sizes of old empires and defined an empire as a large political group where the parts are not independent. He looked at how much land these empires controlled. Because it is hard to know the exact borders of old empires and we don’t have full information about all of them, this list does not rank the empires but simply shows how big they might have been.

Largest empires by land area

The home and colonial areas of the world's empires in 1908, as given by The Harmsworth Atlas and Gazetteer

The largest empires in history can be measured by how much land they controlled. When we talk about the size of an empire, we look at the actual land area it ruled, not just the land it claimed. Sometimes, empires claimed large areas but didn’t really control them all.

One way to understand how big empires were is to compare them to the whole Earth, which has about 134,740,000 km² of land if we leave out Antarctica. The earliest known empire that was bigger than any before it was Upper and Lower Egypt, which existed around the year 3000 BC. It was much larger than any civilization that came before it.

Empire	Maximum land area
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
Golden Horde 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 Seljuq 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
The Mongol Empire eventually fractured into four separate khanates: the Yuan dynasty, Chagatai Khanate, Ilkhanate, and Golden Horde. These are listed separately. Its successor state the USSR and its successor in turn, the Russian Federation, reached maximum extents of 22.3 million km² (8.6 million sq mi) in 1945 and 17.1 million km² (6.6 million sq mi) in 1991, respectively. Its successor state the Republic of China (1912–1949) and its successor in turn, the People's Republic of China (since 1949), reached maximum extents of 7.7 million km² (3.0 million sq mi) in 1912 and 9.7 million km² (3.7 million sq mi) in 1950, respectively. Described explicitly as an empire by Taagepera & Nemčok on p.76 and Harmsworth on p.27 The reason the Empire of Brazil is listed as having a larger area in 1889 than the Portuguese Empire had in 1820, despite Brazil having been a Portuguese colony, is that the Portuguese settlers only had effective control over approximately half of Brazil at the time of Brazilian independence in 1822. More recent reassessment of the historical evidence, both archaeological and textual, has led modern scholars to question previous notions of the extent of the realm of the Medes and even its existence as a unified state. The extent to which this constituted a cohesive political entity is uncertain.

Empire	Land area		Year
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
More recent reassessment of the historical evidence, both archaeological and textual, has led modern scholars to question previous notions of the extent of the realm of the Medes and even its existence as a unified state. If the Median Empire never surpassed the size of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, the latter remained the largest empire the world had seen until the Achaemenid Empire surpassed it.

Empire	Land area during time as largest empire		Approximate period
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 Empire	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
The extent to which this constituted a cohesive political entity is uncertain. If the largest empire in the year 2100 BC was not the Indus Valley Civilisation, it was the First Intermediate Period of Egypt with an area of 0.1 million km² (0.04 million sq mi). More recent reassessment of the historical evidence, both archaeological and textual, has led modern scholars to question previous notions of the extent of the realm of the Medes and even its existence as a unified state. If the largest empire in the year 600 BC was not the Median Empire, it was Late Egypt with an area of 0.55 million km² (0.21 million sq mi).

Largest empires by share of world population

The home and colonial populations of the world's empires in 1908, as given by The Harmsworth Atlas and Gazetteer

Because the world's population has grown over time, it is often better to look at how much of the world's people lived in an empire at any given time, rather than just the total number. For much of the time since around 400 BC, the two biggest empires together held about 30–40% of all the people in the world. Most of the time, the biggest empire was in China.

Empire	Empire population as percentage of world population	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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