Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University · Population Living Below 5 m Elevation
People living in low-lying coastal areas by country
What share of people live less than five metres above sea level?
Of the 215 countries compared in 2015, Guyana had the highest reading, 78.4832%, and 43 countries shared the lowest reading, 0.0000%. In the middle country the figure was 2.9535%. Among the 215 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 3.1277% to 2.9535%.
People living in low-lying coastal areas · 2015
Context statistic
Highest of 215Guyana
78.4832%012015 · values only
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 215 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Lowest in 2015
Zimbabwe0.0000%
Zambia0.0000%
Uzbekistan0.0000%
This statistic has no better end: the two ends describe size, not success.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Seychelles28.4832% - AmericasGuyana78.4832%
- Asia
Maldives49.1708% - Europe
Gibraltar56.4067% - OceaniaMarshall Islands67.9731%
- Every region
02Every measured country
People living in low-lying coastal areas on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- 0.0000%
- 0.0128–1.9900%
- 2.0024–4.3137%
- 4.4062–10.1121%
- 10.1259–78.4832%
- No reading in 2015
- Oceania
12.2852%
the middle country, of 19 measured · 21 members
Marshall Islands67.9731%
Guam2.3870%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Americas
4.0702%
the middle country, of 46 measured · 48 members
Guyana78.4832%2 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Asia
2.9599%
the middle country, of 50 measured · 52 members
Maldives49.1708%12 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Europe
2.0357%
the middle country, of 46 measured · 49 members
Gibraltar56.4067%13 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Africa
1.6190%
the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members
Seychelles28.4832%16 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Micronesia
16.5568%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members
Marshall Islands67.9731%Guam2.3870%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Polynesia
14.5524%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 7 members
Tuvalu39.2679%
American Samoa4.6274%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Melanesia
10.8665%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Fiji18.2647%
Papua New Guinea7.5607%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- South-eastern Asia
8.8177%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Vietnam29.6698%
Laos0.0000%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Caribbean
6.6514%
the middle country, of 22 measured · 24 members
Saint Martin28.6791%
Curaçao1.6801%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Eastern Asia
4.8920%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Macau17.2293%
Mongolia0.0000%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Northern Europe
4.8421%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 13 members
Denmark12.5703%
Lithuania1.5417%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Northern Africa
4.1405%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Egypt16.3449%
Sudan0.5086%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Western Africa
3.5311%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Mauritania21.0048%3 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Western Asia
3.0808%
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Bahrain32.9847%2 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Southern Europe
2.3770%
the middle country, of 15 measured · 17 members
Gibraltar56.4067%4 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- South America
2.2179%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Guyana78.4832%2 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Western Europe
1.9900%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Netherlands53.6881%4 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Central America
1.8096%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Belize33.8563%
Guatemala0.2063%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Middle Africa
1.5331%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Gabon9.5273%2 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Southern Asia
0.9286%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Maldives49.1708%3 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Eastern Africa
0.3889%
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Seychelles28.4832%8 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Eastern Europe
0.1642%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Poland1.5858%5 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Central Asia
0.0000%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
5 share 0.0000%
5 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Southern Africa
0.0000%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa0.1994%3 share 0.0000%
Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia3.6013%
New Zealand3.2878%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Northern America
4 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, United States.
Greenland59.8627%
Canada1.4412%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
215 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 2.9535%; a quarter are above 7.7300%, and a quarter below 0.4293%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 215 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. Neither end is better: this is geography before it is policy. Low-lying coastal and island countries sit at the top, and every landlocked country reads zero because it has no coastal zone at all.
Showing 25 of 215 countries
Values for 2015. The change column compares 2015 with 2000 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2015 · 3 reference years
Over time
The estimates exist for 1990, 2000 and 2015 only, all produced in one release, so each line has three points and the newest describes 2015.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 215 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 215 | 2.9535% | 0.4293% – 7.7300% | 2.9535% |
| 2000 | 215 | 3.0571% | 0.4348% – 7.9530% | 3.0571% |
| 1990 | 215 | 3.1277% | 0.4387% – 8.0887% | 3.1277% |
062000 → 2015
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Rose most
before → after
Thailand11.8278% → 17.4710%+5.6432- Macau15.3576% → 17.2293%+1.8717
- Mauritania19.2377% → 21.0048%+1.7671
- Belize32.0969% → 33.8563%+1.7594
- Greenland58.3101% → 59.8627%+1.5526
Fell most
before → after
Turks and Caicos Islands26.0251% → 20.7636%−5.2614- Maldives52.8950% → 49.1708%−3.7241
United Arab Emirates29.1963% → 26.7198%−2.4764
Micronesia25.5510% → 23.2202%−2.3307- American Samoa6.5538% → 4.6274%−1.9264
215 countries were measured in both 2000 and 2015.
07Across every edition
People living in low-lying coastal areas in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
79.8381%
Population living below 5 m elevation (% of total population)
Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University · 1990
Lowest reading on record
Reached 129 times by 43 countries — shared, so no holder is named
0.0000%
Population living below 5 m elevation (% of total population)
Biggest rise between editions
+5.6432
11.8278% → 17.4710%
Biggest fall between editions
−6.1892
34.5359% → 28.3467%
Biggest change since first measured
+8.3318
9.1392% → 17.4710%
Highest most often
3 of 3
editions, alone at the first-listed end
Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University · 1990–2015
08The measure
About people living in low-lying coastal areas
This is the share of a country's people living in coastal areas no more than five metres above sea level — the population most exposed to sea-level rise, storm surges and coastal flooding. It comes from Columbia University's Low Elevation Coastal Zone estimates.
What the number is: Population living below 5 m elevation (% of total population).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Environment & Sustainability and Risk & Resilience, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Environment & SustainabilityRisk & ResilienceWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where people living in low-lying coastal areas is higher, these tend to be higher too.
No statistic lines up this closely.
Moves against
Where people living in low-lying coastal areas is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Arable Land per PersonFAO · 206 countries in commonρ −0.42
- Agricultural LandFAO · 209 countries in commonρ −0.41
- Refugees by Country of OriginUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · 199 countries in commonρ −0.40
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 313 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The data, edition by edition
The countries at either end
11Questions
People living in low-lying coastal areas: questions and answers
Which country has the highest people living in low-lying coastal areas?
Guyana, at 78.4832%, among the 215 countries compared in 2015.
Which country has the lowest people living in low-lying coastal areas?
43 countries share the lowest reading, 0.0000%, among the 215 compared in 2015, so no single country is named.
How many countries does the Population Living Below 5 m Elevation cover?
215 in 2015.
What is the world average people living in low-lying coastal areas?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 215 compared in 2015, the figure was 2.9535%.
Is this Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University’s own ranking?
No ranking is shown. Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.
How often is the Population Living Below 5 m Elevation published?
This site holds 3 reference years, 1990–2015, all recalculated in Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University’s 2021 report on one method — not 3 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University, under CC BY 4.0. CIESIN's Low Elevation Coastal Zone estimates, version 3, served through the World Bank's indicator API (EN.POP.EL5M.ZS). Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Population Living Below 5 m Elevation — Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University
CIESIN's Low Elevation Coastal Zone estimates, version 3, served through the World Bank's indicator API (EN.POP.EL5M.ZS).
Newest edition
Report year 2015Data year 2015
Cite the source as: Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University, and CUNY Institute for Demographic Research (CIDR). 2021. Low Elevation Coastal Zone (LECZ) Urban-Rural Population and Land Area Estimates, Version 3. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). https://doi.org/10.7927/d1x1-d702.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- No rank or position is shown: Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). People living in low-lying coastal areas by country: Population Living Below 5 m Elevation, data from Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/low-elevation-population