The Largest Deserts in the World

The great arid expanses, by area.

The world's great deserts ranked by area, from the Sahara across North Africa to the Arabian sands and the cold deserts of Central Asia.

#	Place	Area (sq mi)
1	Sahara The world's largest hot desert, an ocean of sand and stone across North Africa	3,552,138 sq mi 9,200,000 km²
2	Arabian Desert The vast sand sea of the Arabian Peninsula, home to the largest unbroken sands on Earth	899,618 sq mi 2,330,000 km²
3	Gobi Desert A cold rain-shadow desert of Mongolia and northern China, famed for its dinosaur fossils	500,002 sq mi 1,295,000 km²
4	Kalahari Desert A semi-arid sand basin of southern Africa, more savanna than empty waste	347,492 sq mi 900,000 km²
5	Patagonian Desert Argentina's windswept cold-desert steppe at the southern tip of the Americas	259,847 sq mi 673,000 km²
6	Chihuahuan Desert The largest desert in North America, a high grassland-and-shrub basin straddling the Rio Grande	193,783 sq mi 501,896 km²
7	Great Victoria Desert Australia's largest desert, a sweep of red sand and spinifex in the continent's heart	134,653 sq mi 348,750 km²
8	Taklamakan Desert A vast cold sand sea in western China, ringed by mountains and crossed by the Silk Road	130,116 sq mi 337,000 km²
9	Thar Desert The Great Indian Desert, a densely peopled sand region straddling India and Pakistan	101,966 sq mi 264,091 km²
10	Sonoran Desert The lush North American desert of the towering saguaro cactus	100,387 sq mi 260,000 km²
11	Mojave Desert A high North American desert of Joshua trees and the searing floor of Death Valley	54,054 sq mi 140,000 km²
12	Atacama Desert The driest place on Earth, a high Chilean desert where some places have never seen rain	40,541 sq mi 105,000 km²

Place

Area (sq mi)

Sahara
The world's largest hot desert, an ocean of sand and stone across North Africa

3,552,138 sq mi
9,200,000 km²

Arabian Desert
The vast sand sea of the Arabian Peninsula, home to the largest unbroken sands on Earth

899,618 sq mi
2,330,000 km²

Gobi Desert
A cold rain-shadow desert of Mongolia and northern China, famed for its dinosaur fossils

500,002 sq mi
1,295,000 km²

Kalahari Desert
A semi-arid sand basin of southern Africa, more savanna than empty waste

347,492 sq mi
900,000 km²

Patagonian Desert
Argentina's windswept cold-desert steppe at the southern tip of the Americas

259,847 sq mi
673,000 km²

Chihuahuan Desert
The largest desert in North America, a high grassland-and-shrub basin straddling the Rio Grande

193,783 sq mi
501,896 km²

Great Victoria Desert
Australia's largest desert, a sweep of red sand and spinifex in the continent's heart

134,653 sq mi
348,750 km²

Taklamakan Desert
A vast cold sand sea in western China, ringed by mountains and crossed by the Silk Road

130,116 sq mi
337,000 km²

Thar Desert
The Great Indian Desert, a densely peopled sand region straddling India and Pakistan

101,966 sq mi
264,091 km²

Sonoran Desert
The lush North American desert of the towering saguaro cactus

100,387 sq mi
260,000 km²

Mojave Desert
A high North American desert of Joshua trees and the searing floor of Death Valley

54,054 sq mi
140,000 km²

Atacama Desert
The driest place on Earth, a high Chilean desert where some places have never seen rain

40,541 sq mi
105,000 km²

Figures are drawn from standard government and reference sources and shown in both imperial and metric units. See each entry for full details and citations. Browse all guides or open the explore map.