Place comparison

Koh Pha-ngan compared with Koh Samui: area, population and density

Koh Pha-ngan has about three quarters of Koh Samui main-island land but only about one quarter of its reported registered population.

Place A Grouped by country or region Place B Grouped by country or region

Equal-area outline comparison

Outlines are centered and scaled by official land area; position does not show geographic location.

Area

Population

Population density

Area data date

Population data date

The detailed guide below compares Koh Pha-ngan with Koh Samui. Use the selector above to explore any other pair.

Direct answer

How different are Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Samui?

Koh Pha-ngan covers 168 km²; Koh Pha-ngan's area is about 74% of Koh Samui's. Its reported population is 17,268; Koh Pha-ngan's population is about 24.8% of Koh Samui's. By average density, Koh Pha-ngan's population density is about 33.5% of Koh Samui's.

Area difference

Koh Pha-ngan's area is about 74% of Koh Samui's 168 km² · 227 km²

Population difference

Koh Pha-ngan's population is about 24.8% of Koh Samui's 17,268 · 69,689

Density difference

Koh Pha-ngan's population density is about 33.5% of Koh Samui's 102.8 /km² · 307 /km²

On a familiar scale

Koh Pha-ngan ≈ 1.11 × Kinmen County 9,729 m² of land per resident
Koh Samui ≈ 84% of Taipei City 3,257 m² of land per resident

Reference scales come from Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior: Land area, households and population density by township and district (year-end 2025) , as of 2025-12-31.

How to read it

Koh Pha-ngan population excludes Koh Tao by summing its two island subdistricts. This avoids using the wider 19,799-person district total.

Geography and shape

Both are physical islands in the Gulf of Thailand. Koh Samui has the larger continuous landmass; Koh Pha-ngan is smaller but still much closer to Samui scale than to compact islands such as Koh Tao or Green Island.

Population context

Koh Pha-ngan uses all 2024 registered residents in Ko Pha-ngan and Ban Tai subdistricts, municipal and non-municipal rows combined. Koh Tao is a separate subdistrict and is excluded. Koh Samui uses its wider municipal total.

Boundaries and definitions

The area comparison is island to island. The population comparison is strongest on the Pha-ngan side; Samui density remains approximate because its municipality contains surrounding islands beyond the main outline.

Koh Pha-ngan: Physical Koh Pha-ngan area paired with the complete 2024 registered populations of Ko Pha-ngan and Ban Tai subdistricts, including municipal and non-municipal rows. Ko Tao is excluded.

Koh Samui: Area is for Koh Samui main island. Population is the 2024 Ko Samui City Municipality total, whose 252 km² administration includes the 227 km² main island and 18 surrounding islands; density is therefore approximate for the main island.

In-depth guide

How should Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Samui be understood in context?

The two islands sit in the same gulf and are often planned in one trip, but their resident and service scales differ much more than their land areas.

How the Pha-ngan population was separated

The district total includes Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao. Atlas instead sums the Ko Pha-ngan and Ban Tai subdistrict rows across municipal and non-municipal areas.

That calculation produces 17,268 registered residents and leaves the 2,531-person Ko Tao subdistrict outside the Pha-ngan total.

Land size does not predict the same trip length

Pha-ngan has roughly three quarters of Samui land, but road layout, topography, ferry arrival points and service concentration determine how much of either island fits into one day.

Registered residents also exclude visitors present during events and high season, so the population ratio is not a crowd forecast.

Questions people ask

About this geographic comparison

Which island is larger?

Koh Samui is larger. Koh Pha-ngan is about three quarters of its main-island area.

Is Koh Tao included in Koh Pha-ngan population?

No. Atlas excludes the Ko Tao subdistrict and uses only the two subdistricts on Koh Pha-ngan.

Why is the population gap larger than the area gap?

The registered totals reflect different settlement scales, and Samui is the larger service and transport centre. They do not measure visitors present on either island.

Sources

Outline data: