British vs Mongol Empires At Their Respective Peaks: Which Was Bigger?

Map created by Amitchell125Which was bigger the British or Mongol Empire?

This map visually compares the territorial extents of the British Empire and the Mongol Empire at their respective peaks.

British Empire (highlighted in red): The British Empire was the largest empire in history, at its height in 1920 covering approximately 35.5 million square kilometers (13.71 million square miles) and ruling over 23% of the world’s population and 26.35% of its area. It spanned across all inhabited continents, including significant parts of North America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Notable regions include Canada, Australia, India, large portions of Africa (including Egypt, Sudan, South Africa, and Nigeria), and smaller territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
Mongol Empire (highlighted in blue): The Mongol Empire, founded by Genghis Khan in the early 13th century, was the largest contiguous land empire in history. At its height, it covered about 24 million square kilometers (9.27 million square miles). The empire stretched from Eastern Europe across Asia to include parts of modern-day Russia, China, Mongolia, Iran, and Central Asia. Notable areas under its control included the entirety of modern-day Mongolia, large portions of Russia, China, and Central Asia, and parts of the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

This map demonstrates the immense scale of both empires, with the British Empire being bigger and more globally dispersed due to its maritime nature, while the Mongol Empire was primarily a contiguous land-based empire stretching across Eurasia.

Also it is worth noting that the British Empire had far more people than the Mongol Empire at over 449 million vs 100 million.

Nevertheless, the Mongol Empire may have had a slightly greater share of the world’s population at their peak at 25% vs 23% for the British Empire. Although population records in the 13th and 14th century, aren’t quite what they were in the 20th century.

Here’s a simple comparison: