Largest Deserts on Earth
Key Findings
About This Dataset
Largest Deserts on EarthThe stark contrast between the Antarctic and Arctic Deserts, both exceeding 13,000 thousand km², and the Sahara at 9,200 thousand km² illustrates the significant impact of climate and geography on desert formation. While the Antarctic Desert is classified as a cold desert, the Sahara is a hot desert, indicating that size does not necessarily correlate with temperature. The Arabian Desert (2,330 thousand km²) and Gobi Desert (1,295 thousand km²) further illustrate the diversity of desert environments, but they pale in comparison to the giants of the Antarctic and Arctic. This data suggests that polar regions dominate in terms of desert area, challenging traditional perceptions of deserts as primarily hot, arid landscapes.
Data Insights
Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart
Methodology & source
- Data source
- Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Coverage
- 8 entities · 8 observations
- Measure
- Area (Thousand km2)
- Last updated
- 27 July 2026
- Compiled by
- The ANYSTAT team, from the source above
- Values use the measure and unit named on this page. Consult the dataset description and cited source for coverage, definitions and any unit conversions. Displayed values may be rounded for readability.
- Entities are ranked highest-first on their value.
Data Sources & References
All external sources cited in this dataset
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