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List of largest empires

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This is a list of the largest empires in world history.

Definition

Main article: Empire

An empire is a state that extends dominion over areas and populations distinct culturally and ethnically from the culture/ethnicity at the center of power[citation needed].

Difficulties in measuring and comparing empires

Empires are all individual in character, having been formed in widely different times under widely different political structures. In fact, the term Empire as stated above does not imply any particular form of government. Whether a nation is or was called an empire is also not relevant to whether it is considered an empire for the purposes of this article.

The calculation of the land area of a particular empire is controversial. In particular, there is the question of whether a particular empire can be considered to have laid claim to an area that is sparsely populated, or not populated at all. In general, this list errs on the side of including any land area that was explored and explicitly claimed, even if the areas were very sparsely populated or unpopulated. For example, a large portion of Northern Siberia is not included in the size of the Mongol Empire. The Mongol Empire's northern border was somewhat ill-defined, but in most places it was simply the natural border between the steppe and the taiga. Occupied areas north of this are included in the area of the empire, but at the time the majority of the taiga and tundra were unexplored and uninhabited. This area was only very sparsely populated by the Russian Empire, but it had been explicitly claimed by the Russian Empire by the 1600s, and its extent had been entirely explored by the late 1800s. Similarly, the northernmost Canadian islands such as Ellesmere Island were explored and claimed by the British Empire by the mid 1800s (virtually the entire mainland was at least sparsely populated well before that). No claims on mainland Antarctica are included in the area of any of the empires.

Due to the historical trend of increasing population and GDP, the list of largest empires in these categories is highly dependent on which relatively recent political entities are defined as empires. The measures of population and GDP as a percentage of the world total take into account this historical growth, although decent GDP data is only available for the last few centuries, accurate only for the last decades.

Largest empires by landmass

All empires

  1. British Empire - 36.6 million km²[1] (under King George V in 1922)
  2. Mongol Empire - 33.2 million km²[1] (under Khublai Khan in 1268)
  3. Russian Empire - 22.8 million km²[2] (under Nicholas II in 1895)
  4. Spanish Empire - 19 million km²[1] (under King Charles III r. 1759-1788)
  5. Umayyad Empire - 13.2 million km²[1]
  6. French Empire - 12.5 million km²[1]
  7. Qing Empire - 12 million km²[3] (under Emperor Qianlong)
  8. Portuguese Empire - 10.4 million km²[1]
  9. American Empire - 10 million km² [4] (1898-1902 and 1906-1908)
  10. Rashidun Empire - 9 million km²[5]
  11. Brazilian Empire - 8.5 million km²[1]
  12. Achaemenid Empire - 7.5 million km²[6] (under Darius)
  13. Sassanid Empire - 7.47 million km²[2] (under Khosrau I in 550)
  14. Japanese Empire - 7.4 million km²[1] (during World War II)
  15. Ming Empire - 6.5 million km²[2] (under Emperor Jingtai in 1450)
  16. Han Empire - 6 million km²[2]
  17. Roman Empire - 5.70 million km²[1] (under Emperor Trajan)
  18. Ottoman Empire - 5.5 million km² (under Mehmed IV in 1680)
  19. Tang Empire - 5.4 million km²[2] (under Emperor Xuanzong in 715)
  20. Macedonian Empire - 5.4 million km²[1] (under Alexander the Great)
  21. Maurya Empire - 5 million km²[2] (under Ashoka the Great)
  22. Mexican Empire - 4.7 million km²[1]
  23. Byzantine Empire - 4.5 million km²[2]
  24. Timurid Empire - 4.4 million km²[2]
  25. Mughal Empire - 4 million km²[2] (under Aurangzeb in 1690)
  26. Hunnic Empire - 4 million km²[2] (under Attila the Hun in 441)
  27. Seljuq Empire - 3.9 million km²[2]
  28. Seleucid Empire - 3.9 million km²[2]
  29. Italian Empire - 3.8 million km² (during World War II)
  30. Dutch Empire - 3.7 million km²[1]
  31. Swedish Empire - 3.6 million km²
  32. Nazi German Empire - 3.6 million km²[1] (during World War II)
  33. German Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Wilhelm II before WWI)
  34. Gupta Empire - 3.5 million km²[2] (under Chandragupta II in 400)
  35. Ghaznavid Empire - 3.4 million km²[2]
  36. Pala Empire - 3.2 million km² (under Devapala)
  37. Delhi Sultanate - 3.2 million km²[2]
  38. Khazar Empire - 3 million km²[2]
  39. Afsharid Persian Empire - 3 million km² (under Nadir Shah)
  40. Median Empire - 2.8 million km²[2]
  41. Belgian Empire - 2.5 million km²[2]
  42. Inca Empire - 2 million km²[2]
  43. Neo-Assyrian Empire - 1.4 million km²[2]
  44. Aksumite Empire - 1.3 million km²[2]
  45. Srivijaya Empire - 1.2 million km²[2]
  46. Frankish Empire - 1.2 million km²[2]
  47. Mali Empire - 1.1 million km²
  48. Maratha Empire- 1 million km²
  49. Harsha Empire - 1 million km²[2] (under Harsha Vardhana in 648)
  50. Egyptian Empire - 1 million km²[2]
  51. Almoravid Empire - 1 million km²[2]
  52. Khmer Empire - 1 million km²[2]
  53. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - 990,000 km² (under Sigismund III in 1619)
  54. Bulgarian Empire - 700,000 km² (under Tsar Simeon I)
  55. Akkadian Empire - 650,000 km²[7]
  56. Durrani Empire - 600,000 km²
  57. Neo-Babylonian Empire - 500,000 km²[7]
  58. Armenian Empire - 400,000 km²
  59. Vijayanagara Empire - 360,000 km²[8]

Contiguous empires

  1. Mongol Empire - 33.2 million km² (under Khublai Khan in 1268)
  2. Russian Empire - 22.8 million km² (under Nicholas II in 1895)
  3. Umayyad Empire - 13.2 million km²
  4. Qing Empire - 12 million km² (under Emperor Qianlong)
  5. Rashidun Empire - 9 million km²[9]
  6. Brazilian Empire - 8.1 million km²[1]
  7. Achaemenid Persian Empire - 7.5 million km² (under Darius I of Persia)
  8. Sassanid Persian Empire - 7.47 million km² (under Khosrau I in 550)
  9. Ming Empire - 6.5 million km²
  10. Han Empire - 6 million km²
  11. Ottoman Empire - 5.5 million km² (under Mehmed IV in 1680)
  12. Tang Empire - 5.4 million km²
  13. Macedonian Empire - 5.4 million km² (under Alexander the Great)
  14. Maurya Empire - 5 million km² (under Ashoka the Great)
  15. Mexican Empire - 4.7 million km²
  16. Byzantine Empire - 4.5 million km²
  17. Mughal Empire - 4 million km² (under Aurangzeb in 1690)
  18. Hunnic Empire - 4 million km² (under Attila the Hun in 441)
  19. Seljuq Empire - 3.9 million km²
  20. Seleucid Empire - 3.9 million km²
  21. Nazi German Empire - 3.6 million km² (during World War II)
  22. Gupta Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Chandragupta II in 400)
  23. Ghaznavid Empire - 3.4 million km²
  24. Pala Empire - 3.2 million km² (under Devapala)
  25. Delhi Sultanate - 3.2 million km²
  26. Khazar Empire - 3 million km²
  27. Afsharid Persian Empire - 3 million km² (under Nadir Shah)
  28. Median Empire - 2.8 million km²
  29. Inca Empire - 2 million km²
  30. Neo-Assyrian Empire - 1.4 million km²
  31. Aksumite Empire - 1.3 million km²
  32. Frankish Empire - 1.2 million km²
  33. Mali Empire - 1.1 million km²
  34. Harsha Empire - 1 million km² (under Harsha Vardhana in 648)
  35. Egyptian Empire - 1 million km²
  36. Almoravid Empire - 1 million km²
  37. Khmer Empire - 1 million km²
  38. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - 990,000 km² (under Sigismund III in 1619)
  39. Bulgarian Empire - 700,000 km² (under Tsar Simeon I)
  40. Akkadian Empire - 650,000 km²
  41. Austro-Hungarian Empire - 600,000 km²
  42. Neo-Babylonian Empire - 500,000 km²
  43. Vijayanagara Empire - 360,000 km²

Maritime empires

  1. British Empire - 36.6 million km² (under King George V in 1922)
  2. Spanish Empire - 19 million km² (under King Charles III)
  3. French Empire - 12.5 million km²
  4. Portuguese Empire - 10.4 million km²
  5. American Empire - 10 million km² (1898-1902 and 1906-1908)
  6. Japanese Empire - 7.4 million km² (during World War II)
  7. Italian Empire - 3.8 million km² (during World War II)
  8. Dutch Empire - 3.7 million km²
  9. German Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Wilhelm II before WWI)
  10. Belgian Empire - 2.5 million km²
  11. Srivijaya Empire - 1.2 million km²

Ancient empires

  1. Achaemenid Persian Empire - 7.5 million km² (under Darius I of Persia)Sassanid
  2. Sassanid Empire - 7.47 million km² (under Khosrau I in 550
  3. Han Empire - 6 million km²
  4. Macedonian Empire - 5.74 million km² (under Alexander the Great)
  5. Roman Empire - 5.70 million km² (under Emperor Trajan)
  6. Maurya Empire - 5 million km² (under Ashoka the Great)
  7. Hunnic Empire - 4 million km² (under Attila the Hun in 441)
  8. Seleucid Empire - 3.9 million km²
  9. Gupta Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Chandragupta II in 400)
  10. Median Empire - 2.8 million km²
  11. Neo-Assyrian Empire - 1.4 million km²
  12. Aksumite Empire - 1.3 million km²
  13. Egyptian Empire - 1 million km²
  14. Akkadian Empire - 650,000 km²
  15. Neo-Babylonian Empire - 500,000 km²
  16. Armenian Empire - 400,000 km²

Medieval empires

  1. Mongol Empire - 33.2 million km² (under Khublai Khan in 1268)
  2. Umayyad Empire - 13.2 million km²
  3. Rashidun Empire - 9 million km²[10]
  4. Sassanid Persian Empire - 7.47 million km² (under Khosrau I in 550)
  5. Ming Empire - 6.5 million km²
  6. Tang Empire - 5.4 million km²
  7. Byzantine Empire - 4.5 million km²
  8. Mughal Empire - 4 million km² (under Aurangzeb in 1690)
  9. Seljuq Empire - 3.9 million km²
  10. Ghaznavid Empire - 3.4 million km²
  11. Pala Empire - 3.2 million km² (under Devapala)
  12. Delhi Sultanate - 3.2 million km²
  13. Khazar Empire - 3 million km²
  14. Inca Empire - 2 million km²
  15. Aksumite/Ethiopian Empire - 1.3 million km²
  16. Srivijaya Empire - 1.2 million km²
  17. Frankish Empire - 1.2 million km²
  18. Mali Empire - 1.1 million km²
  19. Harsha Empire - 1 million km² (under Harsha Vardhana in 648)
  20. Almoravid Empire - 1 million km²
  21. Khmer Empire - 1 million km²
  22. Bulgarian Empire - 700,000 km² (under Tsar Simeon I)
  23. Vijayanagara Empire - 360,000 km²

Modern empires

  1. British Empire - 36.6 million km² (under King George V in 1922)
  2. Russian Empire - 22.8 million km² (under Alexander II in 1867)
  3. Spanish Empire - 19 million km² (under Charles III)
  4. French Empire - 12.5 million km²
  5. Qing Empire - 12 million km² (under Emperor Qianlong)
  6. Portuguese Empire - 10.4 million km²
  7. American Empire - 10 million km² (1898-1902 and 1906-1908)
  8. Brazilian Empire - 8.1 million km²[1]
  9. Japanese Empire - 7.4 million km² (during World War II)
  10. Ottoman Empire - 5,5 million km² (under Mehmed IV in 1680)
  11. Mughal Empire - 4 million km²
  12. Italian Empire - 3.8 million km² (during World War II)
  13. Dutch Empire - 3.7 million km²
  14. Nazi German Empire - 3.6 million km² (during World War II)
  15. German Empire - 3.5 million km² (under Wilhelm II before WWI)
  16. Afsharid Persian Empire - 3 million km² (under Nadir Shah)
  17. Belgian Empire - 2.5 million km²
  18. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - 990,000 km² (under Sigismund III in 1619)
  19. Austro-Hungarian Empire - 676,615 km²

Largest empires by population

Population estimates are unknown for many other ancient empires not listed here.

Population size

  1. British Empire - 531.3 million (in 1938)[11]
  2. Qing Empire - 432 million (in 1912)[12]
  3. Russian Empire - 176.4 million (in 1913)[13]
  4. Mughal Empire - 175 million (in 1700)[14]
  5. Ming Empire - 160 million (in 1600)[12]
  6. American Empire - 146.4 million (in 1942)[11]
  7. Japanese Empire - 134.8 million (in 1938)[11]
  8. French Empire - 112.9 million (in 1938)[11]
  9. Mongol Empire - 110 million (in the 13th century)[15]
  10. Nazi German Empire - 75.4 million (in 1938)[11]
  11. Spanish Empire - 64.2 million[16]
  12. Umayyad Empire - 62 million (in the 7th century)[17]
  13. Han Empire - 60 million (in 2 AD)[18]
  14. Roman Empire - 60 million (in 1st century AD)[19]
  15. Song Empire - 59 million (in 1000)[12]
  16. Italian Empire - 51.9 million (in 1938)[11]
  17. Austro-Hungarian Empire - 50.6 million (in 1913)[13]
  18. Maurya Empire - 50 million (in the 2nd century BC)[20]
  19. Achaemenid Persian Empire - 42 million (in the 4th century BC)[14]
  20. Rashidun Empire - 40.3 million (in the 7th century)[21][14]
  21. Ottoman Empire - 39 million (in the 17th century)[22]
  22. Belgian Empire - 35.3 million (before Congolese independence, 1960)
  23. Byzantine Empire - 34 million (5th-6th centuries)[23]
  24. Vijayanagara Empire - 25 million (in the 16th century)[8]
  25. Portuguese Empire - 14.7 million (in 1913)[13]
  26. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - 10.5 million (in 1619)

Percentage of world population

  1. Qing Empire - 36.6% (381 million out of 1.041 billion in 1820)[12]
  2. Maurya Empire - 33.3% (50 million out of 150 million[24] in the 2nd century BC)
  3. Umayyad Empire - 29.5% (62 million out of 210 million[24] in the 7th century)
  4. Mughal Empire - 29.2% (175 million out of 600 million[25] in 1700)
  5. Ming Empire - 28.8% (160 million out of 556.2 million in 1600)[12]
  6. Achaemenid Persian Empire - 27.6% (42 million out of 152 million in the 4th century BC)[14]
  7. Han Empire - 26.5% (59.6 million out of 226 million[12] in 2 AD)
  8. Roman Empire - 26.5% (60 million out of 226 million[12] in the 1st century AD)
  9. British Empire - 25.6% (458 million[26] out of 1.791 billion[12] in 1913)
  10. Mongol Empire - 25.6% (110 million out of 429 million[14] in the 13th century)
  11. Song Empire - 22% (59 million out of 268 million in 1000)[12]
  12. Rashidun Empire - 19.19% (40.3 million out of 210 million in 7th century)
  13. Spanish Empire - 12.3% (68.2 million out of 556 million[12] in the 17th century)
  14. Russian Empire - 9.8% (176.4 million out of 1.791 billion[12] in 1913)
  15. Ottoman Empire - 7.1% (39 million out of 556 million[12] in the 17th century)
  16. American Empire - 6.4% (146.4 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)
  17. Japanese Empire - 5.9% (134.8 million out of 2.295 billion[12] in 1938)
  18. Vijayanagara Empire - 5.7% (25 million out of 438 million[12] in the 16th century)
  19. French Empire - 4.9% (112.9 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)
  20. Nazi German Empire - 3.3% (75.4 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)
  21. Austro-Hungarian Empire - 2.8% (50.6 million out of 1.791 billion in 1913)
  22. Italian Empire - 2.3% (51.9 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)
  23. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - 1.9% (10.5 million out of 556 million[12] in the 17th century)
  24. Portuguese Empire - 0.8% (14.7 million out of 1.791 billion in 1913)

Largest empires by economy

GDP estimates in the following list are only given for empires in modern times, from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries. All dollar amounts are in 1990 USD.

GDP size

  1. British Empire - $683.3 billion (in 1938)[11]
  2. Nazi German Empire - $375.6 billion (in 1938)[11]
  3. Japanese Empire - $260.7 billion (in 1938)[11]
  4. Russian Empire - $257.7 billion (in 1913)[12]
  5. Qing Empire - $241.3 billion (in 1912)[12]
  6. French Empire - $234.1 billion (in 1938)[11]
  7. Italian Empire - $143.4 billion (in 1938)[11]
  8. Austro-Hungarian Empire - $100.5 billion (in 1913)[13]
  9. Mughal Empire - $90.8 billion (in 1700)[12]
  10. Ottoman Empire - $26.4 billion (in 1913)[27]
  11. Portuguese Empire - $12.6 billion (in 1913)[13]

Percentage of world GDP

  1. American Empire - 35%[28] ($1,644.8 billion[29] out of $4,699 billion[30] in 1945)
  2. Qing Empire - 32.9% ($228.6 billion out of $694.4 billion in 1820)[12]
  3. Mughal Empire - 24.5% ($90.8 billion out of $371 billion in 1700)[12]
  4. British Empire - 23.8% ($265 billion[31] out of $1,111 billion[12] in 1870)
  5. Russian Empire - 9.4% ($257.7 billion out of $2,733 billion[12] in 1913)
  6. Nazi German Empire - 8.3% ($375.6 billion out of $4,502 billion[12] in 1938)
  7. Japanese Empire - 5.8% ($260.7 billion out of $4,502 billion in 1938)
  8. French Empire - 5.2% ($234.1 billion out of $4,502 billion in 1938)
  9. Austro-Hungarian Empire - 3.7% ($100.5 billion out of $2,733 billion in 1913)
  10. Italian Empire - 3.2% ($143.4 billion out of $4,502 billion in 1938)
  11. Ottoman Empire - 1% ($26.4 billion out of $2,733 billion in 1913)
  12. Portuguese Empire - 0.5% ($12.6 billion out of $2,733 billion in 1913)

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Bruce R. Gordon (2005).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Adams, Hall and Turchin (2004).
  3. ^ Wudi (2005) at All Empires estimates 12 million km². Wood (2006) at the Royal Academy also estimates 12 million km². Turchin, Adams and Hall (2004) estimate 14.7 million km². Gordon (2005) estimates 12 million km².
  4. ^ This estimate for the American Empire is based on the combined area of the United States, Philippines and Cuba.
  5. ^ Tarikh al-Tabari
  6. ^ British Museum (2005). Forgotten Empire: the world of Ancient Persia.
  7. ^ a b Chase-Dunn, Álvarez and Pasciuti (2002, p. 8-9).
  8. ^ a b Sinopoli (2003, p. 82)
  9. ^ Tarikh al-Tabari
  10. ^ Tarikh al-Tabari
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harrison (1998, pp. 3,7).
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Maddison (2006[page needed]).
  13. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference WWI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ a b c d e Biraben (2003[page needed]).
  15. ^ The combined population of China and Korea in the 13th century was 83 million in Biraben (2003[page needed]). The combined population of Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia, Iran, Iraq and Turkey was about 27 million in Maddison (2006[page needed]).
  16. ^ The combined population of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, United States and the Philippines was 29.2 million in Maddison (2006[page needed]). The population of Latin America was 39 million in Biraben (2003[page needed]), minus Brazil and its 4 million people with was a part of the portuguese empire..
  17. ^ The combined population of Southwest Asia and North Africa was about 57 million in Biraben (2003[page needed]). The combined population of Spain and Portugal was about 5 million in Maddison (2006[page needed]).
  18. ^ Han Dynasty Census recorded 60 million in 2 AD, according to Scheidel (2005, p. 37) and Yoon (1985).
  19. ^ There are several different estimates for the Roman Empire. Scheidel (2006, p. 2) estimates 60 million. Goldsmith (1984, p. 263) estimates 55 million. Beloch (1886, p. 507) estimates 54 million. Maddison (2006, p. 51, 120) estimates 48 million. Roman Empire Population estimates 65 million (while mentioning several other estimates between 45 million and 130 million).
  20. ^ Boesche (2003, p. 12)
  21. ^ The combined population of middle east,North Africa and Sassanid Persian empire was about 40+ million in Biraben (2003[page needed])
  22. ^ Quataert (2005, p. 112).
  23. ^ "Early Medieval and Byzantine Civilization: Constantine to Crusades". 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
  24. ^ a b McEvedy and Jones (1978).
  25. ^ Thomlinson (1975, Table 1).
  26. ^ Maddison (2001, p. 98 & 242).
  27. ^ Pamuk (2005[page needed]).
  28. ^ Christopher Chase-Dunn. Social Evolution and the Future of World Society.
  29. ^ Cite error: The named reference EconomicHistory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  30. ^ This estimate is found through interpolation of the cited statistics of American GDP and the American share of world GDP in 1945.
  31. ^ The combined GDP of the United Kingdom, British India, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ceylon, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Africa in 1870 is about $265 billion in Maddison (2006[page needed]).

Bibliography

See also

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