List of largest empires

An empire involves the extension of a state's sovereignty over external territories and variety of different ethnic groups. The term "empire" in this context (not necessarily a state ruled by an Emperor) does not have a precise definition, but is generally applied to political entities that are considered to be especially large by the standards of their time and that have acquired a significant part of their territory by conquest. For example, first the Portuguese Empire, then the Spanish Empire and later the British Empire were called "the empires on which the sun never sets", because of their vast territories and possessions around the globe. This article provides a list of the largest empires in world history, but the list is not and cannot be definitive since the decision about which entities to consider as "empires", such as the concept of American Imperialism, is difficult and fraught with controversy.

There are various notions of size that can be used to rank empires. For each of these notions, only estimates can be given in the case of most historical empires. Furthermore, there is usually no clear consensus among historians regarding the best estimate – if only because there is often no unambiguous information about an empire's historical boundaries or population. Thus, the values given here should be interpreted as only indicative and not as determining an accurate ranking.

Measurement

The calculation of the land area of a particular empire is controversial. In general, the list aims to include all land that was explored and explicitly claimed, even if the areas were populated very sparsely or not at all. For example, a large portion of Northern Siberia is included in the size of the Russian Empire but not 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. At the time the majority of the taiga and tundra were unexplored and uninhabited, and the Mongol Empire did not claim them as its own. This area was only very sparsely populated by the Russian Empire, but it had been explicitly claimed by the Russian Empire by the 17th century, and its extent had been entirely explored by the late 19th century. In northernmost Canada, however, the Sverdrup Islands west of Ellesmere Island were only discovered and explored between 1899 and 1902 by Norwegian explorer Otto Sverdrup, who claimed them for Norway. Norway ceded the islands to Canada in 1930, with a monetary settlement to the discoverer.

Due to the historical trend of increasing population and GDP, the most recent empires tend to score highest in these categories, so the list of largest empires by population or GDP is highly dependent on which recent political entities are defined as empires. The measures of population and GDP as a percentage of the world total can be used to compensate for this historical growth and ensure that each empire is judged by the standards of its own time. However, decent GDP data is only available for the last few centuries, and accurate data only for the last few decades.

Debates regarding definition of imperial domains

Compilations of history's largest empires (in both geographical size and population) often vary due to differing definitions of imperial borders throughout history and across distinct historical traditions. Imperial domains have been variously defined in terms of direct administrative rule from a common ruling authority, military presence, colonization and settlement, collection of tribute, economic dependence, or even incorporation into a common trading or ideological network. Many imperial domains have therefore enjoyed varying degrees of autonomy, self-rule, or even outright independence (though sometimes with a dependent or protectorate relationship to a stronger power). Some regions claimed by an imperial authority have been large, yet arid and very sparsely populated lands without much administrative control whatsoever. Therefore, empires can vary in size according to these designations, often quite significantly.

For example, in India, which experienced varying levels of European contact and imperial forays since Vasco da Gama's expeditions in 1497–1498, French, Dutch, Portuguese and especially British authorities claimed authority over increasing portions of the Indian Subcontinent. This process culminated in the period of the British Raj (and its smaller French and Portuguese counterparts) after 1857. Approximately half of Indian territory consisted of Princely States under de facto and de jure rule of local rajas and maharajas. The Indian princes acknowledged the suzerainty of the British monarchy during the British Raj, and had no control of their foreign policy until 1947. Furthermore, the Indian independence Act, which ended the British presence by 1947, did not apply to the Princely States, which required separate negotiations with the new Indian nation as independent states in themselves.

Another issue is that many of history's empires have ruled over vast and mostly uninhabited territorial expanses, sparsely populated by largely autonomous tribes, and with little in the way of direct administration or settlement by an imperial power. For example, various Mongol khanates from the 13th century established dominion over arid steppes in Central Asia and Siberia that were difficult to control from a central authority, as was the case with the expansionist Tsardom of Russia empires from the 17th century, which established control in the same regions. In both cases, administrative structures and settlements were gradually introduced into the regions—with Russian settlers, for example, initiating forts and frontier cities in the 19th century in particular—and so the size of each empire in any given decade would depend on how strict one's criteria are in regard to the presence of true settlement and administration. Likewise, in more recent history, almost half the land expanse that is often regarded as part of the British Empire consisted of essentially barren and uninhabitable terrain in Canada and the interior of Australia, which was often difficult to even map, let alone settle and administer. Even today, the population of those regions (particularly in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories of Canada) consists largely of sparse settlements of self-governing indigenous peoples, with little in the way of submission to a central ruling authority.

During the Muslim conquests of the 7th and early 8th centuries, Rashidun armies established the Caliphate, or Islamic Empire, one of the largest empires ever. The 7th century saw the introduction of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula, where Muhammad established a new unified political polity in the Arabian Peninsula which under the subsequent Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates saw a century of rapid expansion of Arab power well beyond the Arabian peninsula in the form of a vast Muslim Arab Empire with an area of influence that stretched from northwest India, across Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, southern Italy, and the Iberian Peninsula, to the Pyrenees. However, internal feuding among ruling figures in the empire led it to fragment into several states under separate administrations, such as the Umayyads (whose rule continued in Spain after it collapsed elsewhere), Abbasids, Ayyubids, Mamluks and many others. These were in addition to a variety of other Muslim states in Sudan, Indonesia and elsewhere that later arose outside of the main Islamic Empires, through trade and other contacts. Thus, the size of these empires vary depending on how "membership" in the empire is defined—as being under a single administration, accepting a particular ruler or following the dictates of the Caliph (which technically, Sunni Muslims in general were expected to do).

Similarly, the Mongol Empire lost its unity upon the death of the Great Khan Möngke during fighting in China in 1259, with the Golden Horde's Berke Khan and the Ilkhanate's Hulagu Khan even taking up arms against each other and supporting rival factions for selection of the Great Khan. However, upon the death of Berke—a Muslim—the religious impetus for conflict among the khanates subsided, with the Mongols again supposedly loyal to the new Great Khan Kublai before fragmenting yet again later. If the khanates are considered to have been a unified Mongol Empire under Kublai—stretching from Korea and China in the east through Siberia and Central Asia and into Persia and Eastern Europe in the west—it would easily be the world's largest in terms of both land area and population (as a percentage of the world total). A related question arises with the granting of dominion and commonwealth statuses among former imperial domains, in which the domains acquire a high degree of self-rule, equivalent to independence in some estimations. For example, the Australian colonies, which federated in 1901, attained dominion status in 1907, which may or may not have indicated a departure from the British Empire, depending on interpretation of that status.

Finally, many of history's empires have had unusual arrangements among multiple powers, such as joint rule by several authorities, layers of rule (with different powers assuming different levels of administrative authority), territorial division with blurred boundaries or other forms of empire without a single obvious central authority. For example, the Manchus, who established the Qing Dynasty in 17th-century China, also conquered nomadic lands to the north, including Mongolia. The Manchus increasingly merged with the Chinese population over the centuries, so that the administration took on both Manchu and Chinese features with no clear division among them. The Mongol chieftains of Outer Mongolia in particular, pledged loyalty to the Manchus but retained substantial autonomy, and when the Qing Dynasty collapsed in the early 20th century, the status of Outer Mongolia relative to the new Chinese state became unclear. Lastly, there is the opposite case of a nation being nominally independent but under de facto control of another power. Britain had a very complicated arrangement with Egypt and Sudan. Egyptian forces battled the British in the Alexandria Expedition in 1807, but in the wake of this, British officials exerted varying degrees of sway in Egypt especially by the late 19th century, with the French also assuming a role in the Suez Canal territory. Sudan, in turn, was technically a colony of the Egyptians, but the British exerted de facto sway on Sudan indirectly via Egypt. Thus, accounts vary on the imperial status (or lack thereof) of both Egypt and Sudan. In the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution, many nations took on a Communist character and attached themselves to the global Communist center of the Soviet Union. Mongolia, North Korea, and China following Communist victory in the Chinese civil war, all took guidance from the Soviet Union especially in the years just after their Communist transformations. The Soviet Union also exercised varying control over Eastern Europe via the Warsaw Pact even though the Pact countries were formally independent, while Communist nations in Africa and Latin America also sought Soviet guidance. Therefore, the lists of largest empires below represent merely a sample of possible rankings depending on the specific criteria used to define an empire.

European colonial empires

The first global empires were a product of the European Age of Exploration that began with a race of exploration between the then most advanced maritime powers, Portugal and Spain, in the 15th century. The initial impulse behind these maritime empires and those that followed was trade, driven by the new ideas and the capitalism that grew out of the European Renaissance. Agreements were also reached to divide the world up between them in 1479, 1493, and 1494.

Portugal began establishing the first global trade network and empire under the leadership of Henry the Navigator. Portugal would eventually control Brazil, territories such as Uruguay and some fishing ports in the Americas; Angola, Mozambique, Portuguese Guinea, and São Tomé and Príncipe (among other territories and bases) in the North and Sub-Saharan Africa; cities, forts or territories in all the Asian Subcontinents, as Muscat, Ormus and Bahrein (amongst other bases) in the Persian Gulf; Goa, Bombay and Daman and Diu (amongst other coastal cities) in India; Portuguese Ceylon; Malacca, bases in Southeast Asia and Oceania, as Makassar, Solor, Banda, Ambon and others in the Moluccas, Portuguese Timor; and the granted entrepôt-base of Macau and the entrepôt-enclave of Dejima (Nagasaki) in the Far East, amongst other smaller or short-lived possessions across the globe (see Evolution of the Portuguese Empire).

During its peak, the Spanish Empire had possession of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Italy, parts of Germany, parts of France, and many colonies in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Starting with the Greater Antilles and other bases, and especially after, with the conquest of inland Mexico, Peru (amongst other related territories in the Americas), and the Philippines in the 16th century, Spain established overseas dominions on a scale and world distribution that had never been approached by its predecessors (the Mongol Empire had been larger but was restricted to Eurasia). Possessions in Europe, Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, in the North, Central, and South America, in the Pacific Ocean, and the Far East, qualified the Spanish Empire as attaining a global presence in this sense.

In 1581, Philip II of Spain inherited the vacant Portuguese throne and became Philip I of Portugal. The Spanish Empire was at it greatest extent at that time, including most of the Americas, Italy, The Seventeen Provinces, and smaller regions of Europe, Asia and Africa. The Portuguese Empire, also significant, included Brazil and the Portuguese colonies in Africa and Asia. Even though the empires continued to be administered separately, this so-called "union of crowns" resulted in one of the largest empires of all time, and the saying "the sun never sets..." was used for the first time. The Iberian Union lasted until 1640 when Portugal restored a Portuguese king to the throne.

Subsequent global empires included the French, Dutch, and British empires. The latter, consolidated during the period of British maritime hegemony in the 19th century, became the largest of all empires by virtue of the improved transportation technologies of the time. At its height, the British Empire covered a quarter of the Earth's land area and comprised one fifth of its population. Germany and Italy were unified later than the other major European countries and so they joined other European powers in establishing colonies overseas only during the "Scramble for Africa" in the 19th century. By the 1860s, the Russian Empire — continued as the Soviet Union — became the largest contiguous state in the world. Present-day Russia continues this distinction, despite having lost its Soviet periphery. Russia today includes slightly over half the world's longitudes.

Largest empires by land area and population

For context, note that the total land area of the Earth is 148,940,000 km2 (57,500,000 sq mi).[1]

All empires at their greatest extent

This list contains at least one incomplete section; you can help by expanding it.
Empire Max. land area (million km2) Max. land area (million mi2) % of world land area Era Max. population (million) % of world population
British Empire 33.7[2] 13.0 22.6% 1922[3] 533.0 (in 1938)[4] 20.0% (458 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)[4]
Mongol Empire 33.0[5][6][7][8] 12.74 22.29% 1279[9] 110.0 (in the 13th century)[10] 25.60% (110.0 million out of 429 million[11] in the 13th century)
Russian Empire 22.8 8.80 15.31% 1866 176.4 (in 1913) 9.80% (176.4 million out of 1.791 billion[12] in 1913)
Spanish Empire 19.4[13][14][15] 7.49 13.03% 1783–1801 68.2 (in the 17th century) 12.3% (68.2 million out of 556 million[12] in the 17th century)
Umayyad Caliphate 15.0[16] 5.79 10.07% 661–750 62.0 (in the 7th century) 28.80% (62.0 million out of 208 million in the 7th century)
Yuan dynasty 14.0 5.41 9.40% 1310[17] 59.8 in 1291.[18][19] 17.10% (59.8 million out of 350 million in 1290)
Qing dynasty 13.1 5.05 8.79% 1760[9][17] 432.2 in 1851.[20] 36.60% (381.0 million out of 1.041 billion in 1820)[12]
Second French colonial empire 12.3 4.76 8.27% 1938[21] 112.9 in 1938 5.10% (112.9 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)
Abbasid Caliphate 11.1 4.29 7.45% 750–1258[17] 44.0 (in 850) 20.00% (50.0 million out of 250 million in 850)[12]
Portuguese Empire 10.4 4.02 6.98% 1815[21] — —
Macedonian Empire 8.6 3.29 5.37% 323 BC[9][22] 50 (in the 4th century BC) 30.30% (50.0 million out of 165 million[12] in the 4th century BC)
Achaemenid Empire 8.5 3.28 5.36% 500 BC[23] 50.0 (in 480 BC)[24] 44.48% (50 million out of 112.4 million in 480 BC)[25]
Empire of Brazil 8.5 3.28 5.71% 1880 14 (in 1889)[26] —
Rashidun Caliphate 8.4 3.24 6.04% 654[17][27] 40.3 19.10% (40.3 million out of 210 million in 7th century)
First French colonial empire 8.1 3.12 5.44% 1754 30 (in 1754)[28] —
Empire of Japan 7.4 2.86 4.97% 1942[21] 134.8 in 1938 5.90% (134.8 million out of 2.295 billion[12] in 1938)
Sasanian Empire 6.6 2.55 4.44% 621[9] 25.0 (in the 7th century AD) 12.00% (25.0 million out of 210 million[29] in the 7th century AD)
Ming dynasty 6.5 2.51 4.36% 1450[9][17] 110.0 in 1600.[30][31] 19.57% (110.0 million out of 556.2 million in 1600)[12]
Han dynasty 6.5[32] 2.51 4.36% 100[33] 58.0 (in 2 AD)[18][34] 19.3% (58 million out of 300 million[12] in 2 AD)
Göktürk Khaganate 6.0 2.32 4.03% 557[9][33] 6.0 2.0%
Golden Horde Khanate 6.0 2.32 4.03% 1310[9][17] — —
Timurid Empire 6.0 2.32 4.03% 1405[9][17] 50.00 (in the 15th Century) 11.36% (50.0 million out of 440 million in 1400)[12]
Tang dynasty 5.5[35] 2.01 3.75% 715[9][17] 50.0 (in the 8th century) 24.0% (50.0 million out of 220 million in the 8th century AD)[23]
Ottoman Empire 5.2 2.00 3.49% 1683[9][17] 35.3 in 1856 7.10% (39.0 million out of 556 million[12] in 1683)
Roman Empire 5.0[9][36] 1.93 3.36% 117 70.0 (in the 2nd century AD)[37][38][39] 35.00% (70 million out of 200 million in 150 AD)[40][41]
Maurya Empire 5.0 1.93 3.36% 265 BC[9] 50–60 million in the 2nd century BC 33%–40% (50–60 million out of 150 million in the 2nd century BC.[42][43]
Mughal Empire 5.0 1.93 3.36% 1707[9][17][44] 150.0 (in 1700) 24.8% (150.0 million out of 610 million[45])
Northern Yuan dynasty 5.0 1.93 3.36% 1550[17] — —
First Mexican Empire 4.9 1.89 3.29% 1822 — —
Xin dynasty 4.70 1.82 3.16% 10[33] — —
Pala Empire 4.6 1.78 3.09% 850 60.0 (in the 3rd Century) 24.00% (60.0 million out of 250 million in 850)[12]
Tibetan Empire 4.6 1.78 3.09% 800[17][46] 25.0 8.333%
Afsharid dynasty 4.5 1.73 3.02 1746 60 (in 1740s) —
Fatimid Caliphate 4.1 1.58 2.75% 969[9][17] — —
Xiongnu Empire 4.03 1.56 2.71% 176 BC[47] — —
Hephthalite Empire 4.0 1.54 2.69% 490[33] — —
Hunnic Empire 4.0 1.54 2.69% 441[33] — —
Eastern Turkic Khaganate 4.0 1.54 2.69% 624[33] — —
Rouran Khaganate Juan-juan 4.0 1.54 2.69% 405[9][33] — —
Western Turkic Khaganate 4.0 1.54 2.69% 630[33] — —
Great Seljuq Empire 3.9 1.51 2.62% 1080[9][17] — —
Italian Empire 3.8 1.47 2.55% 1940 51.9 (in 1938) 2.30% (51.9 million out of 2.295 billion in 1938)
Kushan Empire 3.8 1.47 2.55% 200[33] 42.37 (in the 2nd Century) 19.00% (42.37 million out of 223 million in 140)[12]
Ilkhanate 3.75 1.45 2.52% 1310[9][17] — —
Dutch Empire 3.7 1.43 2.48% 1940 60.0 (in 1940) 3.50% (60.0 million out of 1.700 billion in 1907)
Chola Empire 3.6 1.39 2.42% 1050[48][49] — —
Khwarazmian Empire 3.6 1.39 2.42% 1218[17] 20.0 in 1200 5.00%
Greater German Reich 3.6 1.39 2.42% 1942[50] 70.8 (in 1942) —
Byzantine Empire 3.5 1.35 3.00% 555[33] 30.0 (in 555–600) 10.00% (30.0 million out of 300 million in 600)[12]
German Empire 3.5 1.35 2.35% 1914 64.9 in 1914 3.70% (64.9 million out of 1.753 billion in 1910)
Chagatai Khanate 3.5 1.35 2.35% 1310 or 1350[9][17] — —
Gupta Empire 3.5 1.35 2.35% 400[9] — 26.36% (58.0 million out of 220 million in 400 AD)[4]
Northern Song Dynasty 3.5 1.35 2.35% 1100[9][17] 123.0 in 1103[18][51] 22.00% (59.0 million out of 268 million in 1000)[12]
Safavid dynasty 3.5 1.35 2.35% 1512 — —
Khanate of Bukhara 3.5 1.35 2.35% 1510[17] — —
Western Jin dynasty 3.5 1.35 2.35% 300[33] 48.0 in 1195.[18][52] —
Phoenician Empire 3.4 1.32 2.31% 800 BC[17] — —
Ghaznavid Empire, Afghanistan 3.4 1.31 2.28% 1029[9][17] — —
Almoravid dynasty, Morocco 3.3 1.27 2.22% 1147[17] — —
Ghurids Sultanate 3.2 1.24 2.15% 1200[17] — —
Tughlaq dynasty 3.2 1.24 2.15% 1320[17] — 18.91% (70.0 million out of 370 million in 1330)[12]
Karkota Dynasty of Kashmir 3.09 1.19 2.07% 750 — —
Median Empire 3.1 1.08 1.88% 585 BC[9][22] — —
Parthian Empire 3.1 1.08 1.88% 1[9][22] — —
Sui Dynasty 3.1 1.20 2.08% 610[17] 53.0 in 606[18][53] —
Uyghur Khaganate 3.1 1.20 2.08% 800[9][17] — —
Danish Colonial Empire 3.0 1.16 2.01% 1800 — —
Grand Duchy of Moscow 3.0 1.16 2.01% 1505 — —
Kalmar Union 3.0 1.16 2.01% 1397 — —
Kara-Khanid Khanate 3.0 1.16 2.01% 1025[17] — —
Khazar Khanate 3.0 1.16 2.01% 850[9] — —
Qajar dynasty 3.0 1.16 2.01% 1796 — —
Seleucid Empire 3.0 1.15 2.62% 301 BC[9][22] — —
Samanid dynasty 2.85 1.10 1.91% 928[9][17] — —
Eastern Jin dynasty 2.8 1.08 1.88% 347[33] — —
Liu Song dynasty 2.8 1.08 1.88% 420[33] — —
Maratha Empire 2.8 0.97 1.68% 1760[9] — —
Qin dynasty 2.8 1.08 1.88% 206 BC[33] — —
Khilji dynasty 2.7 1.04 1.81% 1312 or 1320[9][17] — —
Majapahit Empire 2.7 1.04 1.81% 1389[33] — —
Liao dynasty 2.6 1.00 1.75% 947[9][17] — —
Belgian Empire 2.5 0.97 1.68% 1914 — —
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom 2.5 0.97 1.68% 184[33] — —
Hotaki Empire, Afghanistan 2.5 0.97 1.68% 1722 — —
Jurchen Jin dynasty 2.3 0.89 1.54% 1126[9][17] — —
Qara Khitai (Western Liao) 2.5 0.97 1.68% 1210[9] — —
Later Zhao dynasty 2.5 0.97 1.68% 329[33] — —
Indo-Greek Kingdom 2.5 0.97 1.68% 150 BC[33] — —
Southern Qi dynasty 2.3 0.89 1.54% 502[33] — —
Southern Song dynasty 2.1 0.81 1.41% 1127[17] 73.0 in 1193.[18][54] —
Bahriyya Mamluks 2.1 0.81 1.41% 1300[17] — —
Burjiyya Mamluks 2.1 0.81 1.41% 1400[9] — —
First French Empire 2.1 0.81 1.41% 1813[17] — —
Kievan Rus 2.1 0.81 1.41% 882[9][17] — —
Ayyubid Caliphate 2.0 0.77 1.34% 1190[9] — —
Durrani Empire, Afghanistan 2.0 0.77 1.34% 1757[55] — —
Wei dynasty 2.0 0.77 1.34% 263[33] — —
Earlier Zhao dynasty 2.0 0.77 1.34% 316[33] 64 in 156[18][56] —
Former Qin dynasty 2.0 0.77 1.34% 376[33] — —
Western Roman Empire 2.0 0.77 1.34% 395[33] — —
Northern Wei dynasty 2.0 0.77 1.34% 450[33] — —
Saffarid dynasty, Iran 2.0 0.77 1.34% 900 — —
Almohad Caliphate 2.0 0.77 1.34% 1200[9] — —
Satavahana Empire 2.0 0.77 1.34% 90[33] — —
Inca Empire 2.0 0.77 1.34% 1527[9][17] — —
Second Mexican Empire 2.0 0.77 1.34% 1864 — —
Gurjara Pratihara 1.8 0.69 1.21% 860[17] — —
Sibir Khanate 1.8 0.69 1.21% 1520[17] — —
Rashtrakuta dynasty 1.7 0.66 1.41% 805 — —
Buyid Sultanate 1.6 0.62 1.07% 980[9][17] — —
Mamluk Sultanate 1.6 0.62 1.07% 1228[17] — —
Indo-Parthian Kingdom 1.5 0.58 1.01% 50[33] — —
Wu Dynasty 1.5 0.58 1.01% 221[33] — —
Northern Zhou Dynasty 1.5 0.58 1.01% 577[33] — —
Nanda Dynasty 1.5 0.58 1.01% 350 BC or 321[33][57] — —
Indo-Scythian Kingdom 1.5 0.58 1.01% 100 BC[22] — —
Tulunids Emirate 1.5 0.58 1.01% 900[33] — —
Idrisid dynasty, Morocco 1.5 0.58 1.01% 828[9] — —
Sur Empire 1.5 0.58 1.01% 1545[9][17] — —
Neo-Assyrian Empire 1.4 0.54 0.940% 670 BC[9][22] — —
Songhai Empire 1.4 0.54 0.940% 1500[58] — —
Zand dynasty 1.4 0.54 0.940% 1750 — —
Empire of Harsha 1.35 0.52 0.906% 625 or 648[9][17] — —
Liang Dynasty 1.3 0.50 0.873% 502 or 549[9][33] — —
Western Wei Dynasty 1.3 0.50 0.873% 557[33] — —
Later Liang 1.3 0.50 0.873% 923[17] — —
Later Tang 1.3 0.50 0.873% 923[17] — —
Taungoo Dynasty 1.3 0.50 0.873% 1581[59] 3.0 0.60% (3.0 million out of 500 million[12] in 16th Century)
Mali Empire 1.29 0.50 0.866% 1312[60] — 10.00% (45.0 million out of 450 million[61] in the mid-15th century)
Siam Empire 1.29 0.50 0.866% 1782 — —
Shang Dynasty 1.25 0.48 0.839% 1122 BC[9][22] — —
Western Zhou Dynasty 1.25 0.48 0.839% 1122 BC[22] — —
Aksumite Empire 1.25 0.48 0.839% 350[9] — —
Khmer Empire 1.2 0.46 0.806% 1150[9][17] 4.0 in 1150 1.333%
Carolingian Dynasty, Francia 1.2 0.46 0.806% 814[9][17] — —
Srivijaya Empire 1.2 0.46 0.806% 1200[9] — —
Shunga Empire 1.2 0.46 0.806% 150 BC[9] — —
Kingdom of Kush 1.2 0.46 0.806% 700 BC[9] — —
Chalukya Dynasty 1.1 0.42 0.739% 636 — —
Swedish Empire 1.1 0.42 0.739% 1658 — —
Lodhi Dynasty 1.1 0.42 0.739% 1517 — —
Armenian Empire 1.0[62] 0.39 0.671% 95 BC[63][64][65][66] — 7.36% (20 million out of 272 million in 69 BCE)
Polish-Lithuanian Empire 1.0[67] 0.39 0.671% 1619[68] ca. 12.0 (in 1619) 2.07% to 02.41% (avg. 02.2%)[69]
Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1450 BC[22] — —
New Kingdom of Egypt 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1300 BC[9][22] — —
Ptolemaic Dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.671% 301 BC[22] — —
Eastern Wei Dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.671% 550[33] — —
Northern Qi Dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.671% 550[33] — —
Tahirid dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.671% 800[17] — —
Kalachuri Dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1050[9][17] — —
Holy Roman Empire 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1050[17] 5.0 (in 1200) —
Western Xia Dynasty 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1100[9] — —
Western Chalukya Empire 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1121 — —
Avar Khaganate 1.0 0.39 0.671% 600[33] — —
Kanem Empire 1.0 0.39 0.671% 1200[17] — —
Bruneian Empire 0.95 0.37 0.653% 1524[9][22] — —
Maha-Meghavahana Dynasty 0.9 0.35 0.604% 10 BC[22] — —
Konbaung Dynasty, Burma 0.9 0.35 0.604% 1800 — —
Volga Bulgars Khanate 0.9 0.35 0.604% 1100[9][17] — —
Grand Duchy of Lithuania 0.85 0.32 0.570% 1490 4.25 —
First Bulgarian Empire 0.8 0.31 0.541% 927[70] — —
Akkadian Empire 0.8 0.31 0.537% 2250 BC[22] — —
Later Jin 0.8 0.31 0.537% 936[17] — —
Ghana Empire 0.8 0.31 0.537% 1067[33] — —
Pagan Kingdom 0.8 0.31 0.537% 1200[17] — —
Western Satraps Dynasty 0.8 0.31 0.537% 100[33] — —
Himyarite Kingdom 0.8 0.31 0.537% 400[22] — —
Balhae Kingdom 0.8 0.31 0.537% 830[9] — —
Khanate of Kazan 0.7 0.27 0.470% 1540[17] — —
Merovingian Dynasty, Francia 0.7 0.27 0.470% 558[17] — —
Shu Dynasty 0.7 0.27 0.470% 221[33] — —
Yadava Gauli Kingdom 0.7 0.27 0.470% 1250[17] — —
Paramara Dynasty 0.7 0.27 0.470% 1050[33] — —
Kingdom of Dali 0.7 0.27 0.470% 1200 — —
Vijayanagara Empire 0.7 0.27 0.470% 1529 — 5.00% (25.0 million out of 500 million[12] in the 16th century)
Kingdom of Nanzhao 0.7 0.27 0.470% 830[17] — —
Austro-Hungarian Empire 0.68 0.26 0.454% 1867–1918 52.8 in 1914 2.90% (51.3 million out of 1.753 billion in 1910)
Fifteenth dynasty of Egypt 0.65 0.25 0.436% 1650 BC[22] — —
26th Dynasty of Egypt 0.65 0.25 0.436% 550 BC[22] — —
Vakataka Kingdom 0.65 0.25 0.436% 450[22] — —
Visigothic Kingdom 0.6 0.23 0.403% 580[33] — —
Caliphate of Córdoba 0.6 0.23 0.403% 1000[17] — —
Rai Dynasty 0.6 0.23 0.403% 675[33] — —
Maukhari Kannauj Dynasty 0.6 0.23 0.403% 600[17] — —
Bahmani Sultanate 0.6 0.23 0.403% 1470[17] — —
Nizams Dynasty 0.6 0.23 0.403% 1740 — —|-
Nguyễn dynasty 0.575 0.222 0.388% 1833 — —
Sikh Empire 0.5609 0.22 0.377% 1845 — —
Middle Kingdom of Egypt 0.5 0.19 0.336% 1850 BC[22] — —
Lydian Empire 0.5 0.19 0.336% 585 BC[22] — —
Neo-Babylonian Empire 0.5 0.19 0.336% 562 BC[22] — —
Kosala Dynasty 0.5 0.19 0.336% 543 BC[33] — —
Shishunaga dynasty 0.5 0.19 0.336% 510 BC[33] — —
Chu Dynasty 0.5 0.19 0.336% 350 BC[33] — —
Pandyan Dynasty, Tamizhan kingdom 0.5 0.19 0.336% 1251 — —
Later Han 0.5 0.19 0.336% 947[17] — —
Kangju Empire 0.5 0.19 0.336% 100 BC[33] — —
Ostrogothic Kingdom 0.5 0.19 0.336% 510[17] — —
Second Bulgarian Empire 0.48 0.18 0.32% 1241[71] — —
Goguryeo Kingdom 0.45 0.17 0.302% 476[22] — —
Xia Dynasty 0.45 0.17 0.302% 1800 BC[22] — —
Polish Piast State 0.4 0.15 0.269% 1003[68][72] ca. 2 (in 1003)[67][73] 0.58% to 0.79% (avg. 0.7%)[69]
Crimean Khanate 0.4 0.15 0.269% 1500[17] — —
Armenian Kingdom 0.4 0.15 0.269% 189 BC[33] — —
Old Kingdom of Egypt 0.4 0.15 0.269% 2400 BC[22] — —
Middle Kingdom of Assyria 0.4 0.15 0.269% 1080 BC[22] — —
Latin Empire 0.35 0.14 0.235% 1204[33] — —
Mitanni Empire 0.3 0.12 0.201% 1450 BC[22] — —
Carthaginian Empire 0.3 0.12 0.201% 220 BC[22] — —
Greater Nepal (Gurkha Empire) 0.25 0.10 0.168% 1768–2008 47.643 (in 2008) 0.8% (47.6 million out of 6.7 billion in 2008)
Norwegian Empire — — — 1263 — —
1st Dynasty, Babylon 0.25 0.10 0.168% 1690 BC[22] — —
Serbian Empire 0.25 0.10 0.168% 1346 — —
Aztec Empire 0.22 0.08 0.148% 1520[17] — 3.0% (15.0 million out of 500 million in 1500)[69]
Middle Elamite 0.2 0.08 0.134% 1160 BC[22] — —
2nd Dynasty, Isin 0.2 0.08 0.134% 1130 BC[22] — —
Urartu, or Kingdom of Ararat or Van 0.2 0.08 0.134% 800 BC[22] — —
Amorian Dynasty, Byzantium 0.2 0.08 0.134% 820[22] — —
Old Kingdom, Assyria 0.15 0.06 0.101% 1730 BC[22] — —
Eastern Zhou Dynasty 0.15 0.06 0.101% 770 BC[22] — —

Maps

Ancient empires

Medieval empires

Modern empires

Largest empires by economy

GDP estimates in the following list are mostly given for empires in modern times, from the 18th to 20th centuries. All dollar amounts are in 1990 USD.

GDP size

  1.  British Empire – $918.7 billion (in 1938)[4]
  2.  Nazi Germany – $375.6 billion (in 1938)[4]
  3.  Empire of Japan – $260.7 billion (in 1938)[4]
  4.  Russian Empire – $257.7 billion (in 1917)[12]
  5.  Qing Dynasty – $241.3 billion (GDP decline to 1912, immediately before its downfall)[12]
  6. France French Empire – $234.1 billion (in 1938)[4]
  7. Italy Italian Empire – $143.4 billion (in 1938)[4]
  8. Afsharid dynasty – $119.85 billion (in 1740)[12]
  9.  Austria-Hungary – $100.5 billion (in 1918)[74]
  10. Mughal Empire – $90.8 billion (GDP decline in 1700)[12]
  11.  Dutch Empire – $60 billion (in 1900)
  12.  Ottoman Empire – $26.4 billion (in 1923)[75]
  13.  Empire of Brazil – $13.6 billion (in 1889)[74]
  14.  Portuguese Empire – $12.6 billion (in 1913)[74]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ CIA – The World Factbook
  2. ↑ Ferguson, p. 15.: "At its maximum extent between the world wars the British Empire covered more than 13 million square miles, approximately 23 percent of the world's land surface."
  3. ↑ Johnston, Steve, Tea Party Culture War: A Clash of Worldviews, p90, "By 1922, the British Empire presided over 458 million people—one-quarter of the world's population—and comprised more than 13 million square miles."
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Harrison (1998, pp. 3,7).
  5. ↑ Smil, Vaclav (29 January 2010). Why America Is Not a New Rome. MIT Press. p. 62. ISBN 9780262288293. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Turner, Tracey (3 October 2013). What's the Difference Between Snot and Bogeys?. Scholastic UK. ISBN 9781407138121. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Finlay. Pilgrim Art. p.151.
  8. ↑ Vandepeer, Matt. "Retrospect Empire" (PDF). The Suttonian. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 Jonathan M. Adams, Thomas D. Hall and Peter Turchin (2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires" (PDF). Journal of World-Systems Research (University of Connecticut). 12 (no. 2): 219–229.
  10. ↑ The combined population of China and Korea in the 13th century was 83 in Biraben (2003). The combined population of Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia, Iran, Iraq and Turkey was about 27 in Maddison (2006).
  11. ↑ Biraben, Jean-Noel; Biraben, Jean-Noel (January 1979). "Essai sur l'evolution du nombre des hommes". Population (French Edition) (Institut national d'études démographiques) 34 (1): 13–25. doi:10.2307/1531855.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Maddison, op cit. For alternate estimates, see the Economic History Services' USA/UK GDP search tool.
  13. ↑ "The Largest Historical Empires". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  14. ↑ http://www.johndclare.net/Empire/images/The%20British%20Empire.ppt
  15. ↑ http://my.raex.com/~obsidian/earthrul.html
  16. ↑ Blankinship, Khalid Yahya (1994), The End of the Jihad State, the Reign of Hisham Ibn 'Abd-al Malik and the collapse of the Umayyads, State University of New York Press, p. 37, ISBN 0-7914-1827-8
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 Rein Taagepera (September 1997). "Expansion and Contraction Patterns of Large Polities: Context for Russia". International Studies Quarterly 41 (3): 475–504. doi:10.1111/0020-8833.00053.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (a) John D. Durand, 1960, "The Population Statistics of China, A.D. 2–1953", Population Studies Vol. 13 (No. 3), 209–256. (b) John D. Durand, 1974, "Historical Estimates of World Population: An Evaluation", University of Pennsylvania, Population Center, Analytical and Technical Reports, Number 10.
  19. ↑ Recorded number of persons and households in 1290 are 58,834,711 and 13,196,206, respectively (History of Yuan), while recorded peak number of persons and households are 59,848,964 and 13,430,322 in 1291, respectively (History of Yuan).
  20. ↑ Recorded number of persons in 1851 is 432,164,047 according to Draft History of Qing.
  21. 1 2 3 Gordon (2005)
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 Rein Taagepera "Size and Duration of Empires Growth-Decline Curves, 3000 to 600 B.C.", Social Science Research Vol. 7, 180–196 (1978).
  23. 1 2 McEvedy and Jones (1978).
  24. ↑ While estimates for the Achaemenid Empire range from 10–80+ million, most prefer 40–50 million. Prevas (2009, p. 14) estimates 10 . Langer (2001, p. 40) estimates around 16 2. McEvedy and Jones (2001, p. 50) estimates 17 3. Strauss (2004, p. 37) estimates about 20 4. Ward (2009, p. 16) estimates at 20 5. Aperghis (2007, p. 311) estimates 32 6. Scheidel (2009, p. 99) estimates 35 7. Zeinert (1996, p. 32) estimates 40 8. Rawlinson and Schauffler (1898, p. 270) estimates possibly 50 9. Astor (1899, p. 56) estimates almost 50 10. Lissner (1961, p. 111) estimates probably 50 11. Milns (1968, p. 51) estimates some 50 12. Hershlag (1980, p. 140) estimates nearly 50 13. Daniel (2001, p. 41) estimates at 50 15. Meyer and Andreades (2004, p. 58) estimates to 50 16. Pollack (2004, p. 7) estimates about 50 17. Jones (2004, p. 8) estimates over 50 18. Safire (2007, p. 627) estimates in 50 19. Dougherty (2009, p. 6) estimates about 70 20. Richard (2008, p. 34) estimates nearly 70 21. Mitchell (2004, p. 16) estimates over 70 22. Hanson (2001, p. 32) estimates almost 75 23. West (1913, p. 85) estimates about 75 24. Zenos (1889, p. 2) estimates exactly 75 25. Cowley (1999 and 2001, p. 17) estimates possibly 80 26. Cook (1904, p. 277) estimates exactly 80 27.
  25. ↑ Yarshater (1996, p. 47)
  26. ↑ IBGE Dados Históricos dos Censos
  27. ↑ Rashidun Caliphate
  28. ↑ Larousse Encyclopedia
  29. ↑ Morris, Ian. 2009. The dynamics of ancient Empires: State Power from Assyria to Byzantium
  30. ↑ Jean-Noël Biraben, "The History of the Human Population From the First Beginnings to the Present" in Demography: Analysis and Synthesis: A Treatise in Population (Eds: Graziella Caselli, Jacques Vallin, Guillaume J. Wunsch), Vol. III, Chapter 66, pp 5–18, Academic Press:San Diego (2005).
  31. ↑ Recorded number of persons and households in 1393 are 60,545,812 and 10,652,870, respectively (Ming Hui Dian), while recorded peak number of persons and households are 66,598,337 and 11,415,829 in 1403, respectively (Book of Ming).
  32. ↑ Turchin, Peter; Adams, Jonathan M.; Hall, Thomas D (December 2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires" (PDF). Journal of world-systems research 12 (2): 219–229. ISSN 1076-156X. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 Rein Taagepera "Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D.", Social Science History Vol. 3, 115–138 (1979).
  34. ↑ Recorded number of persons and households in AD 2 are 58,594,978 and 12,233,062, respectively (Book of Han).
  35. ↑ Turchin, Peter; Adams, Jonathan M.; Hall, Thomas D (December 2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires" (PDF). Journal of world-systems research 12 (2): 219–229. ISSN 1076-156X. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  36. ↑ Taagepera, Rein (1979). "Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D". Social Science History (Duke University Press) 3 (3/4): 118. doi:10.2307/1170959. JSTOR 1170959.
  37. ↑ Taagepera, Rein (1979). "Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D.". Social Science History (Duke University Press) 3 (3/4): 125. doi:10.2307/1170959. JSTOR 1170959.
  38. ↑ Mclynn Frank "Marcus Aurelius" p. 4. Published by The Bodley Head 2009
  39. ↑ There are several different estimates for the Roman Empire. Scheidel (2006, p. 2) estimates 60. Goldsmith (1984, p. 263) estimates 55. Beloch (1886, p. 507) estimates 54. Maddison (2006, p. 51, 120) estimates 48. Roman Empire Population estimates 65 (while mentioning several other estimates between 55 and 120 ).
  40. ↑ Scheidel, Walter; Friesen, Steven J. (Nov. 2009): "The Size of the Economy and the Distribution of Income in the Roman Empire", The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 99, pp. 61–91
  41. ↑ Data from History Database of the Global Environment. K. Klein Goldewijk and G. van Drecht, "HYDE 3.1: Current and historical population and land cover", in Eds. A. F. Bouwman, T. Kram, and K. Klein Goldewijk, "Integrated modelling of global environmental change. An overview of IMAGE 2.4", Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (MNP), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
  42. ↑ Boesche, Roger (2003-03-01). The First Great Political Realist: Kautilya and His Arthashastra. p. 11. ISBN 9780739106075.
  43. ↑ Demeny, Paul George; McNicoll, Geoffrey (May 2003). Encyclopedia of population. ISBN 9780028656793.
  44. ↑ Chandra, Satish. Medieval India: From Sultanate To The Mughals. p. 202.
  45. ↑ Colin McEvedy and Richard Jones (1978), "Atlas of World Population History", Facts on File (p. 183, p. 342). New York.
  46. ↑ Turchin, Peter; Adams, Jonathan M.; Hall, Thomas D (December 2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires" (PDF). Journal of world-systems research 12 (2): 219–229. ISSN 1076-156X. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  47. ↑ Claudio Cioffi-Revilla, J. Daniel Rogers, Steven P. Wilcox, & Jai Alterman, "Computing the Steppes: Data Analysis for Agent-Based Modeling of Polities in Inner Asia", Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the Amer. Pol. Sci. Assoc., Boston, Massachusetts, p. 8 August 28–31, (2008).
  48. ↑ "History Chola Empire – History Of Ancient, Medieval And Modern India.". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  49. ↑ "The Cholas"" University of Madras"K. A. Nilakanta Sastri
  50. ↑ http://empires.findthedata.com/q/20/2513/How-large-was-the-Nazi-Germany-at-its-greatest-extent
  51. ↑ Recorded number of persons and households in 1103 are 45,981,845 and 20,524,065, respectively (Song Huiyao), while recorded peak number of persons and households are 46,734,784 and 20,882,438 in 1109, respectively (Song Huiyao).
  52. ↑ Recorded number of persons and households in 1195 are 48,490,400 and 7,223,400, respectively (History of Jin).
  53. ↑ Recorded number of persons and households are 46,019,956 and 8,907,546, respectively, in 606 (Tongdian) or 609 (Book of Sui).
  54. ↑ Recorded number of persons and households in 1193 are 27,845,085 and 12,302,873, respectively (Wenxian Tongkao), while recorded peak number of persons and households are 28,320,085 and 12,670.801 in 1223, respectively (Wenxian Tongkao).
  55. ↑ International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest, ed. Immanuel Ness, Blackwell Publishing, 2009, p. 1029. Link.
  56. ↑ Recorded number of persons and households in 156 are 56,486,856 and 10,677,960 respectively (Book of the Later Han).
  57. ↑ Rein Taagepera "Size and Duration of Empires: Systematics of Size", Social Science Research Vol. 7, 108–127 (1978).
  58. ↑ John O. Hunwick: Timbuktu and the Songahy Empire: Al-Sa’di's Ta’rikh Al-sudan Down to 1613 and other Contemporary Documents (Brill, 2003),p. xlix.
  59. ↑ Victor B Lieberman (2003). Strange Parallels: Southeast Asia in Global Context, c. 800–1830, volume 1, Integration on the Mainland. Cambridge University Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-521-80496-7.
  60. ↑ Hempstone, page 312
  61. ↑ Walker, Sheila S., African roots/American cultures: Africa in the creation of the Americas, Published by Rowman & Littlefield, p. 127. (2001)
  62. ↑ Rein Taagepera «Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D.», Social Science History Vol. 3, 115—138 (1979).
  63. ↑ dhwty. "The Rise and Fall of Tigranes the Great, King of Armenia". Ancient Origins. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  64. ↑ Manaseryan, Ruben (2007). Տիգրան Մեծ՝ Հայկական Պայքարը Հռոմի և Պարթևաստանի Դեմ, մ.թ.ա. 94–64 թթ. [Tigran the Great: The Armenian Struggle Against Rome and Parthia, 94–64 B.C.] (in Armenian). Yerevan: Lusakan Publishing. p. needed.
  65. ↑ Армяне.Народ-созидатель. На краткое время Армения достигла имперской мощи и пика достижений во всех областях. Это произошло в царствование Тиграна Великого (95–55 гг. до нашей эры).: Дэвид Лэнг. 1970. pp. Глава 6.Триумф и упадок – Тигран великий и после него.
  66. ↑ Armenia and the Armenians from the earliest times until the great war (1914) By Kévork Aslan. Pg 23
  67. 1 2 Collective work. "Atlas Historyczny Polski". PPWK, 1985
  68. 1 2 Maps of border changes""
  69. 1 2 3 Historical Estimates of World Population U.S. Census Bureau.
  70. ↑ "Atlas of Europe in the Middle Ages", Ostrovski, Rome, 1998, page 66
  71. ↑ Kamburova, Violeta (1992). Atlas "History of Bulgaria". Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. pp. 18, 20, 23.
  72. ↑ State of Boleslaw Chrobry"History of Poland during the Piast dynasty"
  73. ↑ Population of Poland"pl:Ludnosc Polski"
  74. 1 2 3 Broadberry and Harrison (2005).
  75. ↑ Pamuk (2005).

Bibliography

External links

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