List of deserts by area

This is a list of the largest deserts in the world by area. It includes all deserts above 50,000 km² (19,300 sq mi).

Some of Earth's biggest non-polar deserts

Rank	Name	Type	Image	Area (km2)	Area (sq mi)	Location[note 1]	Nation(s)
1	Antarctic Desert	Polar ice and tundra		14,200,000,000,000,000 14,200,000[1]	05,482,651 5,482,651	Antarctica	N/A
2	Arctic Desert	Polar ice and tundra		13,900,000 13,900,000[1]	05,366,820 5,366,820	Eastern Europe Northern America Northern Asia Northern Europe	United States (Alaska), Canada (Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories), Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway (Svalbard and Jan Mayen), Russia (Siberia), and Sweden
3	Saharan Desert	Subtropical		09,200,000 9,200,000[1]	03,552,140 3,552,140	Eastern Africa Middle Africa Northern Africa Western Africa	Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, the Niger, the Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara
4	Arabian Desert	Subtropical		02,330,000 2,330,000[2]	00,899,618 899,618	Middle East	Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Israel, Palestine and Yemen
5	Great Australian Desert	Subtropical		01,371,000 1,371,000[3]	00,529,346 529,346	Australasia	Australia
6	Gobi Desert	Cold winter		01,295,000 1,295,000[1]	00,500,002 500,002	Eastern Asia	China and Mongolia
7	Kalahari Desert	Subtropical		00,900,000 900,000[4]	00,347,492 347,492	Southern Africa	Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa
8	Patagonian Desert	Cold winter		00,673,000 673,000[1]	00,259,847 259,847	South America	Argentina and Chile
9	Syrian Desert	Subtropical		00,500,000 500,000[5]	00,193,051 193,051	Western Asia	Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Syria
10	Great Basin Desert	Cold winter		00,492,098 492,098[5]	00,190,000 190,000	Northern America	United States (Nevada, Utah, California and Idaho)
11	Chihuahuan Desert	Subtropical		00,453,248 453,248[5]	00,175,000 175,000	Central America Northern America	Mexico and the United States
12	Karakum Desert	Cold winter		00,350,000 350,000[5]	00,135,136 135,136	Central Asia	Turkmenistan
–	Great Victoria Desert[note 2]	Subtropical		00,348,750 348,750[1]	00,134,653 134,653	Australasia	Australia
13	Taklamakan Desert	Cold winter		00,270,000 337,000	00,104,248 130,191	Eastern Asia	China
14	Colorado Plateau	Cold winter		00,337,000 336,700[5]	00,130,116 130,116	Northern America	United States
15	Sonoran Desert	Subtropical		00,310,000 310,000[5]	00,119,692 119,692	Central America Northern America	Mexico and the United States
16	Kyzylkum Desert	Cold winter		00,300,000 300,000[5]	00,115,831 115,831	Central Asia	Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
17	Ogaden Desert	Subtropical		00,256,000 256,000	00,098,842 98,842	Eastern Africa	Ethiopia, Somalia, and Somaliland
18	Thar Desert	Subtropical		238,254[6]	00,077,220 77,220	Southern Asia	India and Pakistan
19	Puntland Desert	Subtropical		00,200,000 200,000	00,077,220 77,220	Eastern Africa	Somalia
20	Ustyurt Plateau	Temperate		00,200,000 200,000	00,077,220 77,220	Central Asia	Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
21	Guban Desert	Subtropical		00,175,000 175,000	00,067,568 67,568	Eastern Africa	Somalia/Somaliland
22	Namib Desert	Cool coastal		00,160,000 160,000	00,061,776 61,776	Middle Africa Southern Africa	Angola, Namibia, and South Africa
23	Margo Desert	Subtropical		00,150,000 150,000	00,057,915 57,915	Southern Asia	Afghanistan
24	Registan Desert	Subtropical		00,146,000 146,000	00,056,371 56,371	Southern Asia	Afghanistan
25	Atacama Desert	Mild coastal		00,140,000 140,000[5]	00,054,054 54,054	South America	Chile and Peru
26	Danakil Desert	Subtropical		00,137,000 137,000	00,052,896 52,896	Eastern Africa	Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia
27	Mojave Desert	Subtropical		00,124,000 124,000[7][8]	00,047,877 47,877	Northern America	United States
28	Chalbi Desert	Subtropical		00,100,000 100,000	00,038,610 38,610	Eastern Africa	Kenya
29	Columbia Basin	Cold winter		00,083,139 83,139[5]	00,032,100 32,100	Northern America	Canada and the United States
30	Kavir Desert	Subtropical		00,077,000 77,000[9]	00,029,730 29,730	Southern Asia	Iran
31	Ferlo Desert	Subtropical		00,070,000 70,000	00,027,027 27,027	Western Africa	Senegal
32	Ladakh Desert[10]	Cold winter		00,059,146 59,146	00,022,836 22,836	Southern Asia	India
33	Lut Desert	Subtropical		00,052,000 52,000[9]	00,020,077 20,077	Southern Asia	Iran

Notes

1. As per the United Nations geoscheme.
2. A part of the Great Australian Desert.

See also

• Desert
• Desertification
• List of deserts by continent
• Polar desert
• Tundra
• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification