Below is a list of South American countries with the least population.
South America, like North America, is a component of the Americas and is named after Amerigo Vespucci. Vespucci was the first European to propose that the Americas were not the East Indies but rather a New World that was uncharted by Europeans. South America makes up about 3.5% of the Earth’s surface, roughly 17,840,000 km2 (6,890,000 sq mi).
South America is home to more than 420 million people and Brazil holds the region’s largest population. In this article, we share the South American nations with the smallest population. The list is as follows.
Suriname, 612,985
Suriname takes the first position for the country in South America with the tiniest population. It is situated on the Atlantic coast of northeastern South America and has a total area of 163,819 square kilometres.
Suriname has a 612,985-person population as of 2021 statistics. The coastal regions of the nation are home to the majority of its population. This cosmopolitan country is home to a variety of ethnic groups, including Amerindians, East Indians, Creoles, Maroons, and Javanese.
In Suriname, the four largest religions by several adherents are Islam, Protestant Christianity, Hinduism, and Roman Catholicism.
Guyana, 773,300
Guyana is the second country in South America with the smallest population. It covers 215,000 square kilometres of land. About 773,300 people called the area home as of 2016, while the population density was just 4 people per square kilometre. 90% of the population is concentrated in the coastal regions.
The ethnic variety of the nation is extensive with the largest ethnic group in Guyana being Indo-Guyanese. The culture of the Caribbean region has a significant impact on national culture. Christians make up 57.4% of the population.
Uruguay, 3,444,010
South America’s third-least populous country is Uruguay. The population of this nation, which is situated in the southeast of the continent and has an Atlantic coastline, is 3,444,010. The second-smallest nation on the continent, Uruguay has a total area of 176,000 square kilometres. Uruguay’s population is primarily centred in and around the metro area of Montevideo, which serves as the country’s capital. European ancestry makes up 87.7% of Uruguayans.
Paraguay, 6,725,310
The nation of Paraguay is situated in central South America and is encircled by land on all sides. Central Argentina is traversed by the Paraguay River, which flows from north to south. There are 6,725,310 inhabitants in Paraguay. The population is extremely unequally spread out over the nation, with the majority of people living in and around Asunción, the nation’s capital, in the east.
Only 2% of the country’s inhabitants reside in the Gran Chaco region, which makes up approximately 60% of Paraguay’s total land area. With 95% mestizos, the population of Paraguay is almost entirely of one ethnic group.
Bolivia, 10,887,880
Bolivia is the least populous nation in South America and is encircled by territory on all sides. In the western centre of the continent, to be exact. The Andes Mountains cover almost a third of Bolivia’s total land area. 10,887,880 people are living in Bolivia.
Over the previous five years, the population tripled in size and grew at a comparatively quick rate of 2.25%. Bolivia’s largest ethnic group, the Quechua, makes up 45.6% of the total population. The population’s Aymara makes up 42.4% of the total.
Ecuador, 18,213,629
According to estimations made using the most recent United Nations statistics, Ecuador has a population of 18,213,629 as of right now.
As for Ecuador’s size, when the Galápagos Islands are included, the country’s total area is 283,561 km2 (109,484 sq mi). 6,720 km2 (2,595 sq mi) of it is water, making a total area of 276,841 km2 (106,889 sq mi) of land.
Because the Galápagos Islands are occasionally regarded as being in Oceania, Ecuador may technically be considered a transcontinental nation by some criteria. Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Uruguay, and Ecuador are all smaller countries in South America.
Chile, 19,629,590
Chile is located in the western part of South America and is closest to Antarctica.
The country had a population of 17.5 million as of 2017 and an area of 756,096 square kilometres (291,930 square miles).
17,574,003 people were counted in the 2017 census of Chile. Due to a drop in the birth rate, it has experienced a slower rate of population increase since 1990. It is anticipated that there will be about 20.2 million people living there by 2050.
Venezuela, 28,838,499
Venezuela is a nation in the Caribbean Sea that consists of a continental mainland and numerous islands and islets. It is located on the northern coast of South America.
Its population in 2022 was projected to be 29 million, with a territorial area of 916,445 km2 (353,841 sq mi). Caracas, the nation’s capital, is home to the largest urban agglomeration.
Most people in Venezuela reside in the northern cities, particularly in the capital and largest metropolis Caracas, making Venezuela one of the most urbanized nations in all of Latin America.
Peru, 34,055,196
Peru is located in western South America. In 2048, Peru’s population, which is currently 34,055,196 people, should surpass 40 million. Peru’s population is expected to keep increasing until it reaches a peak of 41.62 million people in 2066.
Due to net migration that is positive and a fertility rate of 2.27 births per woman, Peru’s population is growing at a rate of 1.42%.
The area that Peru occupies is somewhat smaller than the state of Alaska in comparison. It has a total length of 5,536 km (3,440 mi) for land borders, 2,414 km (1,500 mi) for coastline, and borders with Ecuador and Colombia on the north, Brazil and Bolivia on the east, Chile on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west.
Lima, the capital of Peru, is situated on the Pacific coast.
Argentina 45,773,884
Argentina has a sizable metropolitan population. More than 92% of the projected 44.500.000 total population, as of 2018, reside in metropolitan areas. However, only 8 agglomerations—with the Metropolitan region of Buenos Aires predominating—contain 47.6% of the country’s urban population.
Urban sprawl, low density, and frequently a lack of infrastructure were the results of unorganized, poorly planned urban growth.
Conclusion
With an annual growth rate of more than 1%, South America as a whole is seeing rapid expansion. The area has a high birth rate, high fertility, and a comparatively low migration rate. Suriname is the number one least populated nation in South Africa followed by Guyana and Uruguay respectively.
