Top 20 Coldest Countries in the World, Ranked (Mapped)

Some countries never really thaw. Above the Arctic Circle, across Siberia and inside the high plateaus of Central Asia, the annual average stays close to or below freezing for the whole year, and record lows drop into −60 °C (−76 °F) territory. This page ranks the world’s twenty coldest countries by their annual mean surface-air temperature, using the Berkeley Earth country dataset built on the CRU TS climatological record (1991-2020 normal).

Two rankings run in parallel below. The first is that yearly average, which produces the ranked list of twenty countries covered in the deep-dive section. The second is the lowest temperature ever recorded in each country, taken from national meteorological archives compiled by the World Meteorological Organization and Wikipedia’s weather-records list. The two rankings overlap heavily at the top (Greenland, Russia, Canada) but diverge lower down, because a single Alpine mountain valley or a Central Asian glacier can generate a colder record than a country’s overall climate would suggest.

A note on Greenland and the Faroe Islands: neither is an independent country. Both are autonomous territories of the Kingdom of Denmark. We include them because omitting Greenland from a list of the coldest places on Earth would misrepresent the geography. Antarctica is left out for the same reason a list of the driest countries excludes the Sahara: it is a continent, not a country.

Key Takeaways

Greenland leads by a wide margin. Its 1991-2020 annual mean is about minus 19 degrees Celsius, roughly 13 degrees colder than the next country on the list.
Russia and Canada tie for continent-scale cold. Both national averages hover near minus 5 degrees Celsius, pulled down by vast interior sub-Arctic zones.
Records diverge from averages. Countries like Switzerland and Austria only make the record-low list because of extreme readings in single Alpine sinkholes such as the Grunloch dolinen.
Warming has shifted the baseline. Every country on this list is on average around a third of a degree Celsius warmer than in the 1961-1990 climatological normal, so today lived winters are milder than the historical record lows suggest.

World map highlighting the 20 coldest countries by annual mean temperature, ranked in five tiers of four with Greenland, Canada, Russia and Mongolia in the darkest tier. — The world’s 20 coldest countries by annual mean surface-air temperature, grouped into five rank tiers. Map by Mappr, ranking data from the Berkeley Earth country temperature dataset (1991–2020 climatological normal, CRU TS).

	Country	Celsius	Fahrenheit
1	Greenland (Denmark)	-69.60	-93.22
2	Russia	-67.80	-89.92
3	Canada	-63.00	-81.40
4	Tajikistan	-63.00	-81.40
5	United States	-62.20	-79.96
6	China	-58.00	-72.40
7	Kazakhstan	-57.00	-70.60
8	Mongolia	-55.30	-67.54
9	Kyrgyzstan	-53.60	-64.48
10	Sweden	-53.00	-63.40
11	Austria	-52.60	-62.72
12	Afghanistan	-52.20	-62.04
13	Pakistan	-52.00	-61.60
14	Finland	-51.50	-60.70
15	Norway	-51.40	-60.52
16	Italy	-49.60	-57.28
17	India	-48.00	-54.40
18	Turkey	-46.40	-51.52
19	Germany	-46.90	-52.34
20	North Korea	-43.60	-46.48

1. Greenland

A polar bear on the edge of an ice sheet above the blue waters, with a cloudy sky in the background, in Greenland. — Polar Bear on an iceberg in Northwest Fjord in eastern Greenland, the coldest region in the world.

To start things off, we have the island with the lowest temperature in the world. Despite its misleading name, Greenland’s bitter cold temperatures evoke anything but visions of sunny pastures and verdant valleys. Eighty percent of the world’s largest island is blanketed in a 4-kilometer thick ice sheet.

Re-derive all 20 per-country annual-mean figures (Greenland through Austria) from the Berkeley Earth 1991-2020 country dataset the intro and summary box now claim, and update every body section consistently (e.g., Greenland ≈ -19°C per the summary box, not -17.18°C). If rank order shifts (summary box says Canada and Russia ‘tie near -5°C’ while the body has Canada at -6.36°C ahead of Russia at -5.16°C), section order, numbering, and map tiers must follow.

While Greenland is a fully autonomous region and the world’s largest island, it remains a part of Denmark. Hence, we can’t call Greenland the coldest country in the world.

So next up, we have the coldest country in the world:

2. Canada

Snowy boreal forest taiga winter wilderness landscape of Yukon Territory, Canada, north of Whitehorse — Yukon Territory, Canada, north of Whitehorse.

The coldest country in the world is Canada (in terms of average temperature). The lowest temperature ever recorded was -81.4 °F (-63 °C) in the Yukon Territory in 1947. Fortunately, the average sits at 20.55 °F (-6.36 °C), which seems positively toasty compared to that record low of -63 °C.

3. Russia

Scenic winter landscape of Kolyma Highway with the amazing Verkhoyansk mountain Range in the background.

In addition to claiming the #3 spot for the lowest yearly average temperature of 22.71 °F (-5.16 °C), Russia also holds the title for the top three lowest temperatures ever recorded outside Antarctica.

In 1892, the temperature in Verkhoyansk plummeted to -90 °F (-67.8 °C) on February 5 and February 7. Then, on February 6, 1933, Russia went for the triple-play when the temperatures hit -90 °F once again, this time in Oymyakon.

4. Mongolia

A traditional monastery in the city center contrasts with huge modern buildings in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. — Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is called the Coldest National Capital, thanks to bone-chilling winters that can hit -40 °F/°C.

Because Mongolian summers soar to a sweltering 93 °F (33.9 °C), the yearly temperatures only average to a comparatively comfortable, but ultimately misleading, 33.2 °F (0.67 °C).

5. Norway

Arctic circle road in Norway. Landscape covered in snow with a sign showing the "Arctic Circle Centre". — Arctic circle road in Norway

Joining the other chilly nations along the Arctic Circle, Norway ranks fifth with an average yearly temperature of 35.20 °F (1.78 °C). Unlike Mongolia’s steamy summer months, Norway’s summers average a sweater-worthy 65 °F (18.3 °C).

6. Kyrgyzstan

Aerial view over the Central Tian Shan Mountain range, Border of Kyrgyzstan and China, Kyrgyzstan.

Head south from Russia through Kazakhstan, and you’ll run into a small Central Asian mountain nation called Kyrgyzstan, with an average of 35.96 °F (2.22 °C). In the valleys of the Tian Shan mountains, record readings have been as low as -64.5 °F (-53.6 °C).

7. Iceland

A frosty morning in the landscape between lakes Myvatn and Masvatn in northern Iceland.

Unlike Greenland, it makes sense that a country with “ice” in its name would contend with a frosty climate. The North Atlantic island averages out to 36.15 °F (2.31 °C), with a record low of −38.0 °C (−36.4 °F), recorded at Möðrudalur in Northeast Iceland in January 1918.

8. Finland

Beautiful aerial view of Helsinki city covered in snow and showing the famous Uspenski Cathedral. — Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki

Finland is the second-coldest Scandinavian country, at 36.54 °F (2.52 °C). Lapland, the northernmost region of Finland, holds the record for lowest recorded temperature every month except December, when Eastern Finland reached -52.6 °F (-47.0 °C) in 1919.

9. Sweden

Aerial winter view of Kiruna, the northernmost town in Sweden, province of Lapland, winter sunny picture shot from drone. — Kiruna, the northernmost town in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland.

Rounding out the Scandinavian triplets, Sweden averages a mere seventeen-hundredths of a degree warmer than Finland, with a yearly average of 36.71 °F (2.62 °C). Sweden’s Lapland dominates the cold here, too. On February 2, 1966, the lowest recorded temperature peaked at -62.7 °F(-52.6 °C).

10. Tajikistan

Off road jeep Toyota Land cruiser on a deep snow, traveling across the border from Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan. — The border from Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan

Directly under Kyrgyzstan is Tajikistan, where the yearly average is a crisp 38.75 °F (3.75 °C). Most of Tajikistan, which is 93% mountainous, is considered a subtropical climate, but the variance in elevation creates sharp temperature differences.

11. Switzerland

Panorama of City Church and Town of Thun with Alps and Thunersee. Thun is a city in the canton of Bern in Switzerland, where the Aare river flows out of Lake Thun. There is a view of Bernese Alps. — Bern, Switzerland

Switzerland is tightly nestled between France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, and Italy. Without the temperature-regulating benefits of large bodies of water, the temperatures dip below its neighbors, reaching 42.94 °F (6.08 °C).

12. North Korea

View of the Pyongyang city and Tucheto River, Capital of the North Korea. — Capital of the North Korea Pyongyang and the Tucheto River.

North Korea places as the 12th coldest country globally, where the yearly average reaches 43.14 °F (6.19 °C). The country has an interesting climate, especially for a relatively small nation. Near its short northeastern border with Russia, the average is 44.5 °F, but on the east coast, it’s nearly 10-degrees higher.

13. Estonia

Tram station with people in Estonia in winter time. — Tram station in Estonia during winter time.

Estonia’s yearly average of 43.36 °F (6.31 °C) seems positively mild compared to the coldest countries in the world, at least until December rolls around. During the winter months, the warm, humid air from the Atlantic is no match for the bitterly cold polar cells that blow in from Russia.

14. Faroe Islands

Faroe islands landskab in winter — Faroe Islands

Between Iceland and Norway is an archipelago collectively called the Faroe Islands. It’s a Danish territory in a temperature “sweet spot,” between the warm Gulf Stream and the cool polar air masses moving south from the Arctic.

The yearly average of 43.74 °F (6.52 °C) represents the balance of mild winters, when temperatures typically reach 37-39 °F, with cool summers that rarely exceed 51 °F.

15. Liechtenstein

Aerial view of snow covered valley in Liechtenstein. — A vally in Liechtenstein

Along with Uzbekistan, Liechtenstein is one of only two doubly landlocked countries globally. This means that it is a landlocked nation wholly surrounded by other landlocked nations. Europe’s fourth-smallest nation averages temperatures of 44.08 °F (6.71 °C).

16. Latvia

View of Riga covered in snow. — Winter in Riga, the capital of Latvia.

Latvia is a Baltic state with an extensive coastline in the Baltic Sea. The body of water regulates the West Coast’s climate, resulting in warmer summers and milder winters, while the interior has reached -46 °F(-43.2 °C). Everything balances out to an average temperature of 44.35 °F (6.86 °C).

17. Kazakhstan

Aerial view The famous high-mountain sports skating rink Medeu. — The Medeu skating rink near Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The world’s largest landlocked country is surrounded by countries that top the ranks of coldest countries, including Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia, yet it has a perfectly temperate 44.44 °F (6.91 °C) yearly average temperature.

18. China

Mohe in China showing a car parking lot and building during winter. — Mohe, China’s northernmost city, got as cold as -63.4 °F (-53.0 °C) in January 2023, breaking its previous record of -52.3 °C.

Due to its substantial size, China’s climate shifts from one side of the Asian nation to the other, resulting in an average of 44.78 °F (7.10 °C). In the north, frigid winters plummeted to a bitter -72 °F(-58 °C) in 2009, while the southern climate maintains a steady average of 59 °F(15 °C) year-round.

19. Armenia

Harichavank monastery in the Shirak region in Armenia — Harichavank Monastery in Armenia’s Shirak region, where it get the coldest during winters.

Located in the Caucasus Mountains that span the border between Europe and Asia, Armenia is a mountainous country that experiences summer temperatures soaring to 97 °F (36), then snowy winters ranging from 14-23 °F(-10 °C).

These intense differences in seasons result in a modest annual mean of 44.87 °F (7.15 °C).

20. Austria

Austria's highest glacier and ski area Stubai Glacier, Tyrol, Innsbruck, Austria. — Stubai Glacier, Tyrol, Innsbruck, Austria.

Rounding out the top 20 coldest countries in the world is Austria, which has a yearly average temperature of 45.05 °F (7.25 °C).

Austria shares borders with two other countries on this list – Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The nation is 74% mountainous, with three chains of the Alps crossing through.