Deserts by the numbers

Desert Stats & Rankings

Sort all 50 deserts by size, type, continent or name — and see how they stack up at a glance.

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1	Antarctic Polar Desert	Polar	Antarctica	14,000,000 km²
2	Arctic Polar Desert	Polar	Arctic	13,900,000 km²
3	Sahara	Subtropical	Africa	9,200,000 km²
4	Arabian Desert	Subtropical	Asia	2,330,000 km²
5	Gobi Desert	Cold	Asia	1,300,000 km²
6	Kalahari	Subtropical	Africa	900,000 km²
7	Patagonian Desert	Cold	South America	620,000 km²
8	Syrian Desert	Subtropical	Asia	500,000 km²
9	Great Basin Desert	Cold	North America	492,000 km²
10	Nubian Desert	Subtropical	Africa	400,000 km²
11	Chihuahuan Desert	Subtropical	North America	362,000 km²
12	Monte Desert	Subtropical	South America	350,000 km²
13	Karakum Desert	Cold	Asia	350,000 km²
14	Great Victoria Desert	Subtropical	Oceania	348,750 km²
15	Taklamakan Desert	Cold	Asia	337,000 km²
16	Kyzylkum Desert	Cold	Asia	300,000 km²
17	Great Sandy Desert	Subtropical	Oceania	284,000 km²
18	Sonoran Desert	Subtropical	North America	260,000 km²
19	Thar Desert	Subtropical	Asia	200,000 km²
20	Nullarbor Plain	Subtropical	Australia	200,000 km²
21	Ustyurt Plateau	Cold	Asia	200,000 km²
22	Sechura Desert	Coastal	South America	188,700 km²
23	Tanami Desert	Subtropical	Oceania	184,500 km²
24	Simpson Desert	Subtropical	Oceania	176,500 km²
25	Namib Desert	Coastal	Africa	160,000 km²
26	Gibson Desert	Subtropical	Oceania	156,000 km²
27	Danakil Desert	Subtropical	Africa	137,000 km²
28	Mojave Desert	Subtropical	North America	124,000 km²
29	Atacama Desert	Coastal	South America	105,000 km²
30	Dasht-e Kavir	Subtropical	Asia	77,600 km²
31	An Nafud	Subtropical	Asia	65,000 km²
32	Sinai Desert	Subtropical	Asia	60,000 km²
33	Lut Desert	Subtropical	Asia	51,800 km²
34	Badain Jaran Desert	Cold	Asia	49,000 km²
35	Registan Desert	Subtropical	Asia	40,000 km²
36	Tengger Desert	Cold	Asia	36,700 km²
37	Sturt Stony Desert	Subtropical	Australia	30,000 km²
38	Cholistan Desert	Subtropical	Asia	26,000 km²
39	Vizcaíno Desert	Coastal	North America	25,000 km²
40	La Guajira Desert	Coastal	South America	25,000 km²
41	Kumtag Desert	Cold	Asia	22,900 km²
42	Negev Desert	Subtropical	Asia	13,000 km²
43	Wahiba Sands	Subtropical	Asia	12,500 km²
44	Black Rock Desert	Cold	North America	2,600 km²
45	Richtersveld	Coastal	Africa	1,600 km²
46	Judaean Desert	Subtropical	Asia	1,500 km²
47	Wadi Rum	Subtropical	Asia	720 km²
48	White Sands	Subtropical	North America	710 km²
49	Tatacoa Desert	Subtropical	South America	330 km²
50	Tabernas Desert	Subtropical	Europe	280 km²

Bars are scaled to the largest desert in the list. Areas are approximate and for educational use.