Place comparison
Koh Samui compared with Singapore: area, population and density
Koh Samui is about 31% of Singapore’s land, and Singapore has about 88 times its population, so Singapore is about 27 times as dense.
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
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The guide below belongs to this pair: Koh Samui and Singapore. Change the selector above and the page follows, so the reading always matches the tool.
Direct answer
How different are Koh Samui and Singapore?
Koh Samui covers 227 km² (87.6 sq mi); Koh Samui's area is about 30.5% of Singapore's. Its reported population is 69,689; Koh Samui's population is about 1.1% of Singapore's. By average density, Koh Samui's population density is about 3.7% of Singapore's.
Population difference
Koh Samui's population is about 1.1% of Singapore's 69,689 · 6,111,175Density difference
Koh Samui's population density is about 3.7% of Singapore's 307 /km² (795 /sq mi) · 8,210.6 /km² (21,265 /sq mi)Full data and sources for each place: Koh Samui area & population, Singapore area & population
Straight-line distance between geometric centres: about 1002 km; time difference: 1 hour.
On a familiar scale
- Koh Samui ≈ 1.43 × Washington, D.C. (reference rung) 3,257 m² of land per resident
- Singapore ≈ the size of New York City 122 m² of land per resident
Reference scales come from U.S. Census Bureau: 2025 Gazetteer Files: land area of states and counties , as of 2025-01-01.
How to read it
About three Koh Samuis fit into Singapore’s land.
Geography and shape
Koh Samui is an island in the Gulf of Thailand, the largest of the Samui group with Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao. Singapore is a city-state on one main island and some sixty smaller islands at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula.
Population context
Koh Samui has 69,689 registered residents on 227 km², about 307 per km². Singapore has 6,111,175 on 744 km², about 8,211 per km². Singapore holds about 88 times Samui’s population on about 3.3 times its land.
Boundaries and definitions
Koh Samui’s area is the main island; its population is the 2024 municipal register, which also covers 18 small surrounding islands and leaves out many workers and long-stay foreigners. Singapore uses its total land area at 31 December 2025, which grows with reclamation, and its total population at end-June 2025, including about 1.91 million non-residents.
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.
Singapore: Total land area surveyed by the Singapore Land Authority as at 31 December 2025, covering the main island and its offshore islands. The figure rises with reclamation and is restated annually — it was 735.7 km² a year earlier. Population is the Department of Statistics total population at end-June 2025: citizens 3,660,683, permanent residents 543,832 and about 1.91 million non-residents, counted by place of usual residence, so tourists and short-term visitors are excluded. The two dates are six months apart, and the outline traces the main island, Pulau Ujong, which is about 88% of the official area — Pulau Tekong, Jurong Island, Pulau Ubin, Sentosa and some sixty smaller islands are counted in the figure but not drawn.
In-depth guide
How should Koh Samui and Singapore be understood in context?
Koh Samui is a small island next to Singapore — about a third of its land — and almost empty by comparison, with roughly one resident for every 88 in Singapore.
A third of the land, almost none of the crowd
Koh Samui’s 227 km² is about 31% of Singapore’s 744 km². Its 69,689 registered residents are about 1% of Singapore’s 6.11 million, so the island averages about 307 people per km² against Singapore’s 8,211.
Registered residents understate the island in season, when hotel staff from across Thailand and visitors add many more people than the register shows.
Questions people ask
About this geographic comparison
Which is bigger, Koh Samui or Singapore?
Singapore is bigger, with a land area about 3.28× that of Koh Samui (Koh Samui 227 vs Singapore 744.3 km², or 87.6 sq mi vs 287.4 sq mi).
How big is Koh Samui compared to Singapore?
Singapore has 744.3 km² (287.4 sq mi) and Koh Samui has 227 km² (87.6 sq mi): the ratio is 3.28×. Conversely, Koh Samui has 30.5% of Singapore's area.
Does Koh Samui or Singapore have more people?
Singapore has 6,111,175 people (2025-06-30), versus 69,689 in Koh Samui (2024-12-31): 87.7×. In reverse, Koh Samui has 1.1% of Singapore's population. Koh Samui is 30.5% the size of Singapore — 227 km² vs 744.3 km² (87.6 sq mi vs 287.4 sq mi). Population is 1.1% as high; average density is 3.7% as high. Each side’s scope and reference date are set out under “Boundaries and definitions” on this page.
Is Koh Samui bigger than Singapore?
No. Singapore is bigger, with a land area about 3.28× that of Koh Samui (Koh Samui 227 vs Singapore 744.3 km², or 87.6 sq mi vs 287.4 sq mi). The area difference is 517.3 km². Singapore has 744.3 km² (287.4 sq mi) and Koh Samui has 227 km² (87.6 sq mi): the ratio is 3.28×. Conversely, Koh Samui has 30.5% of Singapore's area. No. Koh Samui’s 227 km² is about 31% of Singapore’s 744 km²; Singapore is about 3.3 times its size.
How many Koh Samuis would fit in Singapore?
About 3.3 by land area: 744 km² against 227 km².
Sources
- Ko Samui City Municipality: General information: municipal and main-island area
- National Statistical Office, Thailand: Surat Thani Provincial Statistical Report 2025, Table 1.2
- Singapore Land Authority: Total Land Area of Singapore
- Singapore Department of Statistics: Indicators on Population, Annual (Table M810001)
Outline data: