This is the list of the largest deserts in the world by area. It includes all deserts above 50,000 square kilometres (19,300 sq mi).

 

Rank Name Type Area (km²) Area (sq mi) Location
1 Antarctica Polar ice and tundra 14000000 5500000 Antarctica
2 Arctic Polar ice and tundra 13985000 5400000 Arctic (Alaska, Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden)
3 Sahara Subtropical 9,000,000+ 3,300,000+ North Africa (Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan and Tunisia)
4 Australian Desert Subtropical 2700000 1000000 Australia
5 Arabian Desert Subtropical 2,330,000 900000 Western Asia (Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen)
6 Gobi Desert Cold Winter 1295000 500000 Central Asia (China and Mongolia)
7 Kalahari Desert Subtropical 900,000 360000 Southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa)
8 Patagonian Desert Cold Winter 620000 200000 South America (Argentina and Chile)
9 Syrian Desert Subtropical 520,000 200000 Western Asia (Iraq, Jordan, and Syria)
10 Great Basin Cold Winter 492,000 190000 United States
11 Chihuahuan Desert Subtropical 450,000 175000 North America (Mexico and the United States)
12 Karakum Desert Cold Winter 350,000 135000 Turkmenistan
13 Colorado Plateau Cold Winter 337,000 130000 United States
14 Sonoran Desert Subtropical 310,000 120000 North America (Mexico and the United States)
15 Kyzylkum Desert Cold Winter 300,000 115000 Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan)
16 Taklamakan Desert Cold Winter 270000 105000 China
17 Thar Desert Subtropical 200,000 77000 South Asia (India and Pakistan)
18 Dasht-e Margo Subtropical 150000 58000 Afghanistan
19 Registan Desert Subtropical 146000 56400 Afghanistan
20 Atacama Desert Mild Coastal 140,000 54000 South America (Chile and Peru)
21 Mojave Desert Subtropical 124,000 48000 United States
22 Columbia Basin Cold Winter 83,100 32100 United States
23 Namib Desert Cool Coastal 81,000 31000 Southern Africa (Angola and Namibia)
24 Dasht-e Kavir Subtropical 77,000 30000 Iran
25 Dasht-e Loot Subtropical 52,000 20100 Iran
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