Place comparison

Phu Quoc Island compared with Koh Samui: area, population and density

Phu Quoc main island has about two and a half times the land of Koh Samui, while both population figures extend beyond their main-island outlines.

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 guide below belongs to this pair: Phu Quoc Island and Koh Samui. Change the selector above and the page follows, so the reading always matches the tool.

Direct answer

How different are Phu Quoc Island and Koh Samui?

Phu Quoc Island covers 567 km² (218.9 sq mi); Phu Quoc Island's area is 2.5 times Koh Samui's. Its reported population is 179,480; Phu Quoc Island's population is 2.58 times Koh Samui's. By average density, Phu Quoc Island's population density is 1.03 times Koh Samui's.

Area difference

Phu Quoc Island's area is 2.5 times Koh Samui's 567 km² (218.9 sq mi) · 227 km² (87.6 sq mi)

Population difference

Phu Quoc Island's population is 2.58 times Koh Samui's 179,480 · 69,689

Density difference

Phu Quoc Island's population density is 1.03 times Koh Samui's 316.5 /km² (820 /sq mi) · 307 /km² (795 /sq mi)

Full data and sources for each place: Phu Quoc Island area & population, Koh Samui area & population

Straight-line distance between geometric centres: about 448 km; time difference: none.

On a familiar scale

Phu Quoc Island ≈ 73% of New York City 3,159 m² of land per resident
Koh Samui ≈ 1.43 × Washington, D.C. (reference rung) 3,257 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

The land comparison is direct. The population comparison uses Phu Quoc City and Ko Samui Municipality, each including surrounding islands.

Geography and shape

Phu Quoc is a much larger continuous island in the Gulf of Thailand, off Vietnam. Koh Samui is also a major resort island but occupies less than half as much land. Their outlines show how destinations with similar resort labels can operate at different geographic scales.

Population context

Phu Quoc population is the official city total at establishment in 2020, including smaller islands. Samui population is its 2024 municipality total, also including surrounding islands. The figures describe administrative destination systems rather than people strictly inside each main coastline.

Boundaries and definitions

Use this page for main-island land scale and approximate resident-system scale. Do not quote either density as a pure island-only measure, and do not treat different population years as a current growth comparison.

Phu Quoc Island: Area and outline represent the physical main island. Population is the official figure used to establish Phu Quoc City in 2020 and covers the wider city archipelago, including smaller islands; main-island density is therefore approximate.

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 Phu Quoc Island and Koh Samui be understood in context?

The cleanest conclusion is the physical land ratio: Phu Quoc main island is about two and a half times Koh Samui. Population adds context but uses wider island administrations on both sides.

Large resort islands are not interchangeable

A destination can be marketed as one island even when its official government covers surrounding islands. The physical outlines on this page keep the main landmasses visible.

Phu Quoc has enough additional land that road distances, settlement spread and resort zones can operate at a broader scale than Samui.

Why the density is deliberately approximate

Phu Quoc uses the population recorded when the city was established in 2020; Samui uses a 2024 municipal total. Both include nearby islands beyond the displayed main outline.

The dates are also different, so the page should not be used as a present-day growth ranking.

Questions people ask

About this geographic comparison

Which is bigger, Phu Quoc Island or Koh Samui?

Phu Quoc Island is bigger, with a land area about 2.5× that of Koh Samui (Phu Quoc Island 567 vs Koh Samui 227 km², or 218.9 sq mi vs 87.6 sq mi).

How big is Phu Quoc Island compared to Koh Samui?

Phu Quoc Island has 567 km² (218.9 sq mi) and Koh Samui has 227 km² (87.6 sq mi): the ratio is 2.5×. Conversely, Koh Samui has 40% of Phu Quoc Island's area.

Does Phu Quoc Island or Koh Samui have more people?

Phu Quoc Island has 179,480 people (2020-12-09), versus 69,689 in Koh Samui (2024-12-31): 2.58×. In reverse, Koh Samui has 38.8% of Phu Quoc Island's population. Phu Quoc Island is 2.5× the size of Koh Samui — 567 km² vs 227 km² (218.9 sq mi vs 87.6 sq mi). Population is 2.58× higher; average density is 1.03× higher. Each side’s scope and reference date are set out under “Boundaries and definitions” on this page.

Is Phu Quoc Island bigger than Koh Samui?

Yes. Phu Quoc Island is bigger, with a land area about 2.5× that of Koh Samui (Phu Quoc Island 567 vs Koh Samui 227 km², or 218.9 sq mi vs 87.6 sq mi). The area difference is 340 km². Phu Quoc Island has 567 km² (218.9 sq mi) and Koh Samui has 227 km² (87.6 sq mi): the ratio is 2.5×. Conversely, Koh Samui has 40% of Phu Quoc Island's area.

How many times does Koh Samui fit into Phu Quoc Island?

By land area, Koh Samui fits into Phu Quoc Island about 2.5 times (567 km² vs 227 km², or 218.9 sq mi vs 87.6 sq mi). It is an area ratio, not a jigsaw fit: coastlines and shapes differ, which the outlines on this page show at one scale.

Which island is larger?

Phu Quoc. Its physical main-island area is about two and a half times Koh Samui.

Are the population figures island-only?

No. Both official administrative totals include surrounding islands.

Why keep the comparison?

The physical land-area result is clean and useful, while the population limitation is explicit rather than hidden.

Sources

Outline data: