Glossary
What the figures and terms on this site mean, in plain words, with the official definition each one follows.
- UN member state
- Observer state
- Capital
- Continent
- Region
- Neighbour
- Country code
- Internet domain
- Currency code
- Population
- Population density
- Median age
- Life expectancy at birth
- Fertility rate
- Urban population
- Area
- Forest area
- GDP
- GDP per person
- Internet use
Countries
UN member state
A state that has been admitted to the United Nations. There are 193 today.1 See the newest members.
Observer state
A state that is not a member of the UN but takes part in its work as a permanent observer. There are two: the Holy See and the State of Palestine.2 Both are among the 195 countries on this site, see why 195.
Capital
On this site, the city a state officially designates as its capital. That is not always the seat of government or the largest city, see countries with more than one capital.
Places
Continent
This site uses six continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania, as Natural Earth assigns them.3 Mauritius, the Seychelles and the Maldives, which Natural Earth files under open ocean, go with the continent of their region.
Region
A group of neighbouring countries within a continent, such as Western Europe or Eastern Africa. The regions follow the UN's M49 standard.4
Neighbour
A country that shares a land border with another. We count neighbours from Natural Earth's boundary lines.3
Codes
Country code
The three-letter code from the ISO 3166-1 standard, such as AUT for Austria.5
Internet domain
The country's top-level domain on the internet, such as .at for Austria, as listed in IANA's root zone database.6
Currency code
The three-letter code from the ISO 4217 standard, such as EUR for the euro.7
People
Population
The UN Population Division's estimate of how many people live in a country, for the year shown.8
Population density
Population divided by area, in people per square kilometre. We calculate it from the two figures on each page.
Median age
The age that divides the population into two halves of equal size: as many people are older as younger.9
Life expectancy at birth
The number of years a newborn would live if the death rates at the time of its birth stayed the same throughout its life.10
Fertility rate
The number of children a woman would have if she lived to the end of her childbearing years and had children at the rates of that year.11
Urban population
The share of people living in urban areas. What counts as urban is defined by each country's statistical office.12
Land and economy
Area
Total surface area: land plus inland waters such as major rivers and lakes, in square kilometres.13
Forest area
The share of land covered by natural or planted trees at least 5 metres tall. Trees in orchards and other farming, and in city parks and gardens, do not count.14
GDP
Gross domestic product: the total income earned by producing goods and services in a country over a year. It is shown in current US dollars, without adjusting for price changes over time.15
GDP per person
GDP divided by the population.16
Internet use
The share of people who have used the internet in the last three months, from any place and on any device.17