Mapped: 15 Largest Glaciers in the World (2025)

Antarctica’s Lambert-Fisher Glacier is the largest glacier on Earth — stretching 400 km long and 100 km wide, it drains about 8% of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. As climate change accelerates glacial retreat worldwide, understanding these frozen giants has never been more important. Below, we rank the 15 largest glaciers in the world by area, map their locations, and explore why they matter.

Glaciers hold about 69% of the world’s fresh water. If every glacier on Earth melted, sea levels would rise by approximately 70 meters. From Antarctica to Alaska, from the Himalayas to the Alps, these rivers of ice shape landscapes and regulate climate on a planetary scale.

Map: Largest Glaciers in the World

World map showing the locations of the 15 largest glaciers — The 15 largest glaciers in the world. Map: mappr.co

Key Takeaways

Lambert-Fisher Glacier in Antarctica is the world’s largest at approximately 40,000 km² — bigger than Belgium or the Netherlands.
Alaska alone has 5 of the 15 largest glaciers, including the Bering Glacier (5,175 km²), the largest in North America.
Glaciers are retreating rapidly — Jakobshavn Isbræ in Greenland has retreated over 40 km since 1850 and is one of the fastest-moving glaciers on Earth.
The Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram is the world’s highest battleground, with Indian and Pakistani soldiers stationed at over 6,000m elevation.
Vatnajökull in Iceland covers 8% of the country and hides several active volcanoes beneath its ice cap, creating dramatic jökulhlaup (glacial floods).

Complete Rankings: 15 Largest Glaciers

Rank	Glacier	Location	Area (km²)	Length (km)	Type
1	Lambert-Fisher Glacier	🇦🇶 Antarctica	~40,000	400	Outlet glacier
2	Vatnajökull	🇮🇸 Iceland	7,900	—	Ice cap
3	Petermann Glacier	🇬🇱 Greenland	~6,000	70	Outlet glacier
4	Bering Glacier	🇺🇸 Alaska, USA	5,175	190	Piedmont glacier
5	Fedchenko Glacier	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	~700	77	Valley glacier
6	Siachen Glacier	🇮🇳🇵🇰 Karakoram	~700	76	Valley glacier
7	Jakobshavn Isbræ	🇬🇱 Greenland	~4,200	65	Outlet glacier
8	Hubbard Glacier	🇺🇸 Alaska, USA	~3,400	122	Tidewater glacier
9	Malaspina Glacier	🇺🇸 Alaska, USA	3,900	—	Piedmont glacier
10	Columbia Glacier	🇺🇸 Alaska, USA	~1,050	51	Tidewater glacier
11	Baltoro Glacier	🇵🇰 Pakistan	~750	63	Valley glacier
12	Aletsch Glacier	🇨🇭 Switzerland	81.7	23	Valley glacier
13	Perito Moreno Glacier	🇦🇷 Argentina	250	30	Valley glacier
14	Tasman Glacier	🇳🇿 New Zealand	~100	23	Valley glacier
15	Fox Glacier	🇳🇿 New Zealand	~34	13	Valley glacier

1. Lambert-Fisher Glacier 🇦🇶

The Lambert-Fisher Glacier in Antarctica is the undisputed king of glaciers — approximately 400 km long and up to 100 km wide, it drains roughly 8% of the Antarctic Ice Sheet through Prince Charles Mountains into the Amery Ice Shelf. The glacier system (including its feeding tributaries) covers an estimated 40,000 km², making it larger than many countries.

Discovered during an Australian aerial survey in the 1950s and named after the expedition’s director, Lambert-Fisher flows at about 230 meters per year. Monitoring this glacier is critical to understanding Antarctic ice sheet dynamics and potential sea level rise — if the entire catchment area destabilized, it could contribute significantly to global sea level increase.

2. Vatnajökull 🇮🇸

Vatnajökull in Iceland is Europe’s largest glacier and the world’s largest ice cap outside the polar regions, covering 7,900 km² — about 8% of Iceland’s total area. Beneath its ice (up to 1,000m thick in places) lie several active volcanoes, including Grímsvötn and Bárðarbunga.

When these subglacial volcanoes erupt, they trigger devastating jökulhlaup (glacial outburst floods) that can release millions of cubic meters of meltwater in hours. The 1996 Grímsvötn eruption caused a flood that destroyed a major bridge and washed away sections of Iceland’s Ring Road. Vatnajökull has been retreating and thinning since the early 20th century.

3–4. Greenland’s Giants: Petermann and Jakobshavn

Petermann Glacier (~6,000 km²) in northwestern Greenland has a massive floating ice tongue that extends 70 km into the Arctic Ocean. In 2010 and 2012, enormous icebergs calved from Petermann — the 2010 event produced an ice island four times the size of Manhattan. Jakobshavn Isbræ (~4,200 km²) is one of the fastest-moving glaciers on Earth, moving up to 40 meters per day. It produces about 10% of all Greenland icebergs and is believed to have spawned the iceberg that sank the Titanic in 1912.

5–6. Alaska’s Bering and the Karakoram’s Glaciers

The Bering Glacier (5,175 km²) in Alaska is the largest glacier in North America and the largest temperate surging glacier in the world. The Fedchenko Glacier (~700 km²) in Tajikistan is the longest glacier outside the polar regions at 77 km, flowing through the Pamir Mountains. The Siachen Glacier (~700 km²) in the Karakoram is notoriously the world’s highest battleground — since 1984, Indian and Pakistani troops have been stationed there at elevations exceeding 6,000m.

7–15. From Hubbard to Fox

Hubbard Glacier in Alaska is one of the few advancing tidewater glaciers. Malaspina Glacier, also in Alaska, is the world’s largest piedmont glacier — a vast fan of ice that spreads out below the mountains. Columbia Glacier has retreated more than 20 km since 1980. Baltoro Glacier in Pakistan provides the approach route for K2 expeditions. Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland is the longest in the Alps at 23 km. Perito Moreno in Argentina is famous for dramatic calving events where massive ice walls collapse into Lake Argentino. Tasman and Fox Glaciers in New Zealand are easily accessible and popular tourist destinations.

Glaciers and Climate Change

Glaciers are among the most visible indicators of climate change. According to the World Glacier Monitoring Service:

Glaciers worldwide have lost over 9 trillion tonnes of ice since 1961
The rate of loss has accelerated significantly since 2000
About 50% of glaciers measured globally are retreating
Glacier melt contributed roughly 21% of observed sea level rise between 2006 and 2018

Methodology

Rankings combine area and significance to present the world’s most notable glaciers. Glacier boundaries shift constantly, and area measurements are approximate. Data is sourced from the World Glacier Monitoring Service, NASA/USGS satellite observations, and the Randolph Glacier Inventory. Ice caps (like Vatnajökull) are included alongside valley and outlet glaciers.