The World Country Reference is a searchable database of all 195 UN-recognized countries, covering population, total area, capital city, currency, continent, calling code, and driving side. Use it to quickly look up country facts, compare nations by size or population, or filter to explore a specific continent.
| Flag | Country ↕ | Capital ↕ | Population ↕ | Area (km²) ↕ | Currency | Continent ↕ |
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How to Use the World Country Reference
The World Country Reference puts the full database of 195 countries at your fingertips. Whether you're doing research, studying for a geography test, or just curious about a country's size relative to others, this tool lets you search, filter, and sort all the data instantly.
Step 1: Search for a Country
Type any part of a country name in the search box — entering "uni" finds United States, United Kingdom, and United Arab Emirates simultaneously. The filter updates the table in real time as you type. Clear the search box to return to the full list.
Step 2: Filter by Continent
Use the continent dropdown to narrow the list to a specific region. Select "Africa" to compare sub-Saharan nations, "Asia" to explore the world's largest continent, or "Oceania" to see all Pacific island nations. Continent filtering works together with the search box — you can filter to Europe and then search within it.
Step 3: Sort by Any Column
Click any column header to sort the table. Click "Population" to rank countries from most to least populous (China and India top the list at 1.4 billion each). Click "Area" to see Russia's 17 million km² at the top, followed by Canada, the United States, and China. Click again to reverse the sort. The stats bar at the top updates to reflect only the currently visible countries.
Step 4: Toggle km² / mi²
Switch between square kilometers and square miles using the toggle. The area column and population density (in the expanded row) update instantly. Russia, for example, spans 17,098,242 km² or 6,601,668 mi² — about twice the size of the contiguous United States.
Step 5: Expand a Row for Full Details
Click any country row to expand it and see additional information: the international calling code (e.g., +1 for the US and Canada, +44 for the UK), whether traffic drives on the left or right side of the road, the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code used in URLs and passport abbreviations, and population density in people per km² or mi².
FAQ
How many countries are in the database?
The database includes all 195 UN-recognized countries with data for each including capital city, population, total area, currency, continent, calling code, driving side, and ISO code.
Is this tool free to use?
Yes, the World Country Reference is completely free with no signup, no account, and no hidden fees. All data loads instantly in your browser.
Is my data safe?
All data is embedded directly in the page and runs entirely in your browser. No queries are sent to any server — your searches and filters are completely private.
How current is the population data?
Population figures are 2024 estimates based on UN projections and national census data. Country areas are official figures from authoritative geographic sources.
Can I search for a country by partial name?
Yes, the search box filters results as you type. Entering 'uni' will match United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and others. The search is case-insensitive.
How do I see area in square miles?
Use the km² / mi² toggle at the top of the table to switch between square kilometers and square miles. The toggle also affects the population density column which changes between per km² and per mi².
Can I sort by population or area?
Yes, click any column header to sort by that column. Click again to reverse the sort direction. You can sort by name, population, area, capital, currency, or continent.
What does clicking on a country row show?
Clicking a row expands it to show additional details: calling code (international phone prefix), driving side (left or right), ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code, and population density.