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The 30 Largest Empires in History: A Look at Global Dominance
1. British Empire
Covering an astonishing 35.5 million square kilometers, the British Empire once ruled over approximately 27% of the world’s population. Its vast territories spanned continents, including North America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, shaping much of the modern world’s political and cultural landscape.
2. Mongol Empire
Stretching over 24 million square kilometers, the Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land empire in history, with about 18% of the global population under its rule at its peak. It revolutionized trade, warfare, and cultural exchange across Eurasia during the 13th and 14th centuries.
3. Russian Empire
Encompassing 22.8 million square kilometers, the Russian Empire was home to roughly 9% of the world’s population. It expanded across Eastern Europe, Asia, and North America, laying the foundations of modern Russia.
4. Qing Dynasty
Spanning 14.7 million square kilometers, the Qing Dynasty governed over 5.6% of the world’s population, establishing China as a dominant imperial power from the mid-17th century until the early 20th.
5. Spanish Empire
With an area of 13.7 million square kilometers, Spain’s empire included vast territories in the Americas, Asia, and Europe, representing about 5.3% of the global population during the height of its power.
6. French Empire
At 11.5 million square kilometers, the French Empire covered parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Europe, influencing global politics, culture, and language that persist today.
7. Abbasid Caliphate
Spanning 11.1 million square kilometers, the Abbasid Caliphate was a center of Islamic culture, science, and commerce, stretching across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia.
8. Portuguese Empire
Covering 10.4 million square kilometers, Portugal’s empire was among the earliest global empires, with colonies across Africa, Asia, and South America, notably in Brazil.
9. Ottoman Empire
With 5.2 million square kilometers, the Ottoman Empire was a powerful Muslim state that controlled Southeastern Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa until its dissolution in the early 20th century.
10. Umayyad Caliphate
An expansive Islamic empire of 11 million square kilometers, the Umayyad Caliphate commanded nearly 29% of the global population at the time, spreading from Spain to South Asia.
11. Nazi Germany
Covering 12.4 million square kilometers, Nazi Germany’s territorial ambitions during World War II resulted in one of the most destructive conflicts in history, with devastating consequences worldwide.
12. Empire of Japan
Stretching across 8.5 million square kilometers, Japan’s imperial ambitions in Asia led to significant geopolitical upheaval during the early 20th century.
13. Almoravid Dynasty
Spanning 9 million square kilometers, this Berber Muslim dynasty influenced North and West Africa and the Iberian Peninsula during its height in the 11th and 12th centuries.
14. Dutch Empire
The Dutch Empire, covering 5 million square kilometers, played a critical role in global trade during the 17th and 18th centuries, especially in Southeast Asia and the Caribbean.
15. Maratha Empire
Located in India, the Maratha Empire controlled 2.5 million square kilometers and was a significant power in the Indian subcontinent during the 17th and 18th centuries, with a population comprising about 9% of the world.
16. Argentine Confederation
Larger in the past, Argentina’s territories once spanned 5.5 million square kilometers. Today, the nation is a key regional player in South America, but its historic empire was far more extensive.
17. Roman Empire
At 5 million square kilometers, the Roman Empire’s influence was immense, governing over 21% of the world’s population during its peak in the ancient era, laying the foundation for Western civilization.
18. Mughal Empire
Covering 4 million square kilometers, the Mughal Empire’s reign marked a golden age for Indian arts, culture, and architecture, with about 25% of the world’s population.
19. Mexican Empire
Once spanning 5 million square kilometers, the Mexican Empire played a vital part in Latin America’s history, laying the groundwork for national identity and regional influence.
20. Maurya Empire
Controlling 5 million square kilometers and an estimated 33% of the global population, the Maurya Empire is considered one of the most powerful and influential in Indian history, with Ashoka the Great as its most famed ruler.
21. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Spanning over 1 million square kilometers, this union was Europe’s largest state in the 17th century, with significant cultural and political influence in Eastern Europe.
22. Persian Empire (Achaemenid Empire)
Encompassing 5.5 million square kilometers, the Achaemenid Empire was the first great Persian empire, shaping Middle Eastern history and governance, with 44% of the world population living in its era.
23. Empire of Brazil
Covering 8.5 million square kilometers during its imperial phase, Brazil played a major role in South American history and remains the continent’s largest country.
24. Ancient Egypt
Though smaller in area at about 1 million square kilometers, Ancient Egypt’s cultural and historical influence has endured for over 3,000 years, commanding around 10% of the world population during its peak.
25. United States (post-1945)
Since the mid-20th century, the US has grown into a global superpower, controlling nearly 9.8 million square kilometers and representing about 23% of the world’s population today.
26. Inca Empire
At 2 million square kilometers, the Inca Empire was the largest in pre-Columbian America, with a population comprising roughly 0.5% of the world at the height of its power.
27. Byzantine Empire
The Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantium, controlled around 1.5 million square kilometers and contributed significantly to Christian architecture, law, and art.
28. Holy Roman Empire
Covering about 1 million square kilometers, this medieval empire was a complex political entity in Central Europe, influencing European history through the Middle Ages.
29. Swedish Empire
Spanning approximately 1.3 million square kilometers, the Swedish Empire was a major European power in the 17th and early 18th centuries, especially during the Age of Greatness.
30. German Empire (1871–1918)
Unified in the late 19th century, the German Empire expanded rapidly and influenced European geopolitics until its defeat in World War I.
Sources:
Rein Taagepera, “Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D.,” Social Science History, 1979.
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