Countries with the Most Airports

About This Dataset

This chart ranks countries by their total number of airports, including paved and unpaved airfields of all sizes, according to the CIA World Factbook. The count covers all recognised airport facilities, not just major commercial hubs, which is why nations with vast territories and remote regions rank highly.

✨ AI Insight

The United States dominates overwhelmingly with 15,873 airports, more than three times the total of second-placed Brazil (4,919) and greater than the rest of the top ten combined. This reflects the scale of American general aviation, where thousands of small regional and private airfields serve a large, dispersed population. Large-territory countries feature strongly: Brazil, Australia (2,180) and Canada (1,425) rank highly because remote interior regions depend on air access. Mexico (1,485) completes the top five. European nations appear lower, the United Kingdom (1,043), Germany (838) and France (689), despite dense populations, because compact geography and extensive road and rail networks reduce the need for numerous airfields.

Source: CIA World Factbook

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

🏆

United States leads with 15,873 in 2024.

📊

Average value in 2024: 3,011 · median: 1,234.

↔️

Gap in 2024: United States is 23× larger than France.