Largest Lakes on Earth by Surface Area

About This Dataset

Largest Lakes on Earth by Surface Area
The chart displays the largest lakes on Earth by surface area, highlighting the vastness of these bodies of water. The Caspian Sea leads the list with an impressive surface area of 371,000 km², followed by Lake Superior at 82,100 km² and Lake Victoria at 68,870 km². These lakes are not only significant in size but also play crucial roles in their respective ecosystems and local economies.
Analysis

Caspian Sea heads the table on 371,000, ahead of Lake Superior (82,100) and Lake Victoria (68,870) in Surface Area (km2). 339,847 separates the highest figure (371,000) from the lowest (31,153) in Surface Area (km2). Most of that gap is between first and second alone (288,900 of 339,847); the other 7 are separated by just 50,947. Places 3 to 8 are close together, spanning 68,870 to 31,153 Surface Area (km2).

Source:  Encyclopaedia Britannica

Key Findings

🏆
Caspian Sea leads in Surface Area (km2) with 371,000.
📊
Average Surface Area (km2): 91,865  ·  median: 58,700.
↔️
Gap: Caspian Sea is 11.9× larger than Great Bear Lake.

Largest Lakes on Earth by Surface Area

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Area
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Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

Client
⬡
Data Points
8
8 categories  ·  1 year
↑
Top Value
371,000
Caspian Sea
Surface Area (km2) · All Time
◈
Metrics
1
Surface Area (km2)
◷
Period
All Time
Single year snapshot

Methodology & source

Data source
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Coverage
8 entities · 8 observations
Measure
Surface Area (km2)
Last updated
6 September 2026
Compiled by
The ANYSTAT team, from the source above
How the figures are calculated
  • Values are shown as reported by the source. Nothing is rescaled, rebased or converted — the only changes are thousand separators and decimals shown to two places.
  • Entities are ranked highest-first on their value.

Rankings & Full Data

8 records · Surface Area (km2) · ranked by All Time

✓ 8 sourced
# Category All Time Source
🥇 Caspian Sea 371,000
🥈 Lake Superior 82,100
🥉 Lake Victoria 68,870
4 Lake Huron 59,600
5 Lake Michigan 57,800
6 Lake Tanganyika 32,900
7 Lake Baikal 31,500
8 Great Bear Lake 31,153

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