What Is the Least Populated Country in the World? (Where More Tourists Than Locals Visit)

If your child gets the question “What is the least populated country in the world?”, the short answer is:

👉 Vatican City is the least populated country in the world.

This tiny city-state inside Rome has fewer than 1,000 residents depending on the estimate, which makes it the world’s smallest population country and the smallest by land area.

But there’s a twist kids love: millions of tourists visit Vatican City every year far more visitors than locals.

Let’s unpack what “least populated” really means, how microstates work, and why tiny countries can have a huge story.

💬 Need a one-sentence homework answer?  Your child can ask the kid-safe AI Homework Helper on DIY.org to explain “Which country has the lowest population in the world and why?” in their own reading level.

Most least populated countries list Vatican City at the top. It’s a sovereign city-state surrounded by Rome, with an area of less than half a square kilometre and an officially counted population of only a few hundred people.

Different data sources give slightly different totals; many recent estimates fall between 500 and 900 residents, or around 882 people in some UN-based datasets.

Most residents are:

So when someone asks, “What is the least populated country in the world?” The correct, up-to-date answer is Vatican City.

Kids often mix up “smallest country” with “least populated country in the world.”

Vatican City is unusual because it’s both:

That makes it a perfect example for explaining small countries by population and population density in one go.

Not everyone who works in Vatican City is counted in that tiny number.

Population figures mostly include people who live there full-time, such as:

Many other people commute in from Rome during the day, then go home to Italy at night. They’re part of the daily crowd, but not the official microstate population.

Here’s the part that blows kids’ minds:

That works out to thousands of visitors per resident, making Vatican City one of the most overcrowded tourist destinations on Earth when you look at the tourist-to-local ratio.

Most visitors come to see:

To a kid, you can describe it like this:

“Imagine your school has only 500 students, but several million people walk through it every year just to look at the classrooms and artwork.”

Living in a place with more tourists than locals can mean:

That contrast between a tiny population, huge attention is part of what makes this smallest population country so interesting for kids to learn about.

💡 Turn this into a quick activity: Ask your child to open the AI Homework Helper and say:

“Give me three fun facts about Vatican City as the least populated country in the world.”

They can then pick their favourite fact to include in a geography project.

Once you know Vatican City is #1, it’s natural to ask who comes next.

On many least populated countries lists, you’ll often see island microstates and very small nations, for example:

These places might be hard to spot on a world map, but each one has its own flag, government, and culture.

A microstate is usually defined as a very small independent country, either in land area, population, or both.

Classic examples include:

For kids, you can think of a microstate as:

“A country that might be smaller than your city, but still has its own rules, leaders, and identity.”

In tiny countries for kids to study, like Tuvalu or Nauru, life often feels like a close-knit town:

Because the microstate population is so small, people may take on multiple roles: one person might be a teacher, a local leader, and a coach all at once.

Small countries with very few people can face challenges that larger nations don’t feel as sharply:

These realities make discussions about small countries by population a good way to introduce kids to global issues like fairness, environment, and community.

Teachers use questions like “Which is the least populated country in the world?” to do more than check memory. Topics like this help kids:

You can turn it into a mini project:

💡 Homework helper idea: Have your child ask the AI Homework Helper:

“Write a short comparison of the least populated country and the most populated country in the world for my geography homework.”

They can then edit the answer in their own words.

What is the least populated country in the world?

Vatican City is widely recognised as the least populated country in the world, with well under 1,000 residents.

How many people live in Vatican City?

Recent estimates vary by source, but many place the Vatican City population at around 500–900 residents, sometimes rounded to about 882 people.

Why does Vatican City have so few people?

Most residents are clergy, Swiss Guard members, or staff working for the Holy See. There isn’t a typical housing market; people generally live there only while serving in certain roles.

Which countries come after Vatican City on a least populated countries list?

Small island nations like Tuvalu and Nauru, along with microstates such as San Marino and Monaco, usually follow, each with populations in the tens of thousands at most.

Do more tourists visit Vatican City than there are locals?

Yes. Studies show that millions of tourists visit every year, giving Vatican City one of the highest tourist-to-resident ratios in the world.

If your child remembers one simple sentence, let it be this:

Vatican City is the least populated country in the world; only a few hundred people live there, but millions of visitors come each year.

From there, you can explore questions like:

These questions turn a single trivia fact into a deeper look at how communities of all sizes work.