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Largest Lakes in the World
Twenty lakes greater than 7,800 square kilometers, ranked by surface area. Together they hold over half the planet’s surface freshwater.
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Largest LakeCaspian Sea371,000 km² · saltwater
Largest FreshwaterLake Superior82,100 km² · USA / Canada
Deepest LakeLake Baikal1,642 m · ~20% of world’s freshwater
Continents Covered6 of 7Plus a subglacial lake in Antarctica
Units
FreshwaterSaltwater
Sortable rankings table
| # ▲ | Lake ↕ | Area ↕ | Max Depth ↕ | Type ↕ | Country ↕ | Continent ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caspian Sea | 371,000 km²143,244 mi² | 1,025m | Saltwater |      | Asia / Europe |
| 2 | Lake Superior | 82,100 km²31,699 mi² | 406m | Freshwater |   | North America |
| 3 | Lake Victoria | 68,870 km²26,591 mi² | 84m | Freshwater |    | Africa |
| 4 | Lake Huron | 59,600 km²23,012 mi² | 229m | Freshwater | | North America |
| 5 | Lake Michigan | 58,000 km²22,394 mi² | 281m | Freshwater | | North America |
| 6 | Lake Tanganyika | 32,900 km²12,703 mi² | 1,470m | Freshwater |    | Africa |
| 7 | Lake Baikal | 31,500 km²12,162 mi² | 1,642m | Freshwater | | Asia |
| 8 | Great Bear Lake | 31,000 km²11,969 mi² | 446m | Freshwater | | North America |
| 9 | Lake Malawi | 29,500 km²11,390 mi² | 706m | Freshwater |   | Africa |
| 10 | Great Slave Lake | 27,200 km²10,502 mi² | 614m | Freshwater | | North America |
| 11 | Lake Erie | 25,700 km²9,923 mi² | 64m | Freshwater | | North America |
| 12 | Lake Winnipeg | 24,400 km²9,421 mi² | 36m | Freshwater | | North America |
| 13 | Lake Ontario | 19,000 km²7,336 mi² | 244m | Freshwater | | North America |
| 14 | Lake Ladoga | 17,700 km²6,834 mi² | 230m | Freshwater | | Europe |
| 15 | Lake Balkhash | 16,400 km²6,332 mi² | 26m | Saltwater | | Asia |
| 16 | Lake Vostok | 12,500 km²4,826 mi² | 1,000m | Freshwater |  | Antarctica |
| 17 | Lake Onega | 9,700 km²3,745 mi² | 127m | Freshwater | | Europe |
| 18 | Lake Titicaca | 8,372 km²3,232 mi² | 281m | Freshwater |   | South America |
| 19 | Lake Nicaragua | 8,264 km²3,191 mi² | 26m | Freshwater |  | Central America |
| 20 | Lake Athabasca | 7,850 km²3,031 mi² | 124m | Freshwater | | North America |
Sort table columns by clicking any column header. The Caspian Sea is geologically classified as a lake despite its name and salinity.
Data compiled from peer-reviewed limnological surveys, USGS, and national hydrographic agencies.View full sources →
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