A Tale of Two Climates: The Wettest and Driest Countries on Earth

A new visualization from the Voronoi app offers a striking comparison of the world’s wettest and driest countries, measured by their average annual precipitation in millimeters. This map, based on the latest World Bank data, showcases the extreme contrasts between tropical rainforest nations and the arid deserts of North Africa and the Middle East.

Where are the World’s Wettest and Driest Countries?

From lush equatorial regions to barren desert landscapes, the world’s precipitation patterns reveal much about the diversity of our planet’s climate. This map highlights the countries that receive the highest and lowest average annual rainfall.

Ranked: Top 10 Wettest Countries

Topping the list, Colombia boasts the highest average annual precipitation, with 3,240 millimeters (128 inches) of rain each year. Its Tutunendo district is among the wettest places on Earth, experiencing nearly 12,000 mm (463 inches) of rain annually.

Rank	Country	Average Annual Precipitation (mm)
1	Colombia	3,240
2	Sao Tome & Principe	3,200
3	Papua New Guinea	3,142
4	Solomon Islands	3,028
5	Panama	2,928
6	Costa Rica	2,926
7	Samoa	2,880
8	Malaysia	2,875
9	Brunei	2,722
10	Indonesia	2,702

Sao Tome & Principe, an island nation off the coast of Africa, follows closely with an annual average of 3,200 mm of rain. Both Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands surpass the 3,000 mm mark, with Panama rounding out the top five at 2,928 mm.

Interestingly, all these countries are situated near the equator and close to oceans, where the warm, humid air leads to significant rainfall.

Ranked: Top 10 Driest Countries

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Egypt experiences the lowest average annual rainfall, receiving just 18 mm (0.7 inches) each year. In stark contrast, Colombia receives nearly 180 times more rain than Egypt.

Rank	Country	Average Annual Precipitation (mm)
1	Egypt	18
2	Libya	56
3	Saudi Arabia	59
4	Qatar	74
5	UAE	78
6	Bahrain	83
7	Algeria	89
8	Mauritania	92
9	Jordan	111
10	Kuwait	121

North African and Middle Eastern countries dominate the list of the world’s driest places. Libya and Saudi Arabia receive only marginally more rain than Egypt, while countries like Qatar and the UAE average less than 80 mm of annual precipitation.

This dramatic variance in rainfall across the globe underscores the diverse climatic conditions that shape the world’s ecosystems and human societies.