Largest Lakes Volume Comparison (Cubic KM)
Compare the 10 largest lakes by water volume, from the Caspian at 78,200 km3 to Ontario at 1,639 scale. Water volumes with limnology table sources listed.
Visual comparison
All values
Click any row to load it as Entry A.
| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caspian Sea Largest lake by area and volume. | 78,200 cubic kilometers | Endorheic basin, five littoral states | Lake volume tables: Caspian 78,200 km3 |
| Lake Baikal Holds 20 percent of fresh surface water. | 23,610 cubic kilometers | Siberia, Russia, rift lake | Lake volume tables: Baikal 23,610 km3 |
| Lake Tanganyika 4,860 under Baikal. | 18,750 cubic kilometers | African Great Lakes, rift lake | Lake volume tables: Tanganyika 18,750 km3 |
| Lake Superior More than the other four Great Lakes combined. | 12,100 cubic kilometers | North America, Great Lakes | Lake volume tables: Superior 12,100 km3 |
| Lake Malawi 3,460 under Superior. | 8,640 cubic kilometers | African Great Lakes | Lake volume tables: Malawi 8,640 km3 |
| Lake Michigan 3,710 under Malawi. | 4,930 cubic kilometers | North America, Great Lakes | Lake volume tables: Michigan 4,930 km3 |
| Lake Huron 1,390 under Michigan. | 3,540 cubic kilometers | North America, Great Lakes | Lake volume tables: Huron 3,540 km3 |
| Lake Victoria Large area but shallow, so volume lags. | 2,750 cubic kilometers | African Great Lakes | Lake volume tables: Victoria 2,750 km3 |
| Great Bear Lake 514 under Victoria. | 2,236 cubic kilometers | Northwest Territories, Canada | Lake volume tables: Great Bear 2,236 km3 |
| Lake Ontario Smallest row here. | 1,639 cubic kilometers | North America, Great Lakes | Lake volume tables: Ontario 1,639 km3 |
About this converter
The Caspian holds 78,200 cubic km, over triple Baikal at 23,610. Tanganyika at 18,750, Superior at 12,100 and Malawi at 8,640 follow. Michigan at 4,930, Huron at 3,540, Victoria at 2,750, Great Bear at 2,236 and Ontario at 1,639 close the table. Volumes here are water volume, not surface area. Victoria ranks third by area but eighth by volume since it averages 40 m deep against Baikal 744. Areas rank on a separate lake page, so square km stay out here.
How to use it
Pick two lakes and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked. Change any box and the other two update. Try Caspian against Baikal to see the triple gap. The bars below use a log scale since max runs 47 times min, so small bars stay visible. Switch the unit to cubic miles for US figures. Ratios are exact divisions of the water volumes.
Volume versus area splits this site. Largest-lake-areas ranks surface. This page ranks water volume. Victoria shows the split best at third by area but eighth by volume. Figures follow limnology volume tables. Levels shift volumes by hundreds of cubic km with dams and drought.
FAQ
What is the largest lake by volume?
Caspian at 78,200 km3. Baikal follows at 23,610.
Why is Victoria low here?
Shallow depth. Third by area but eighth by volume at 2,750 km3.
Is this the same as lake areas?
No. Areas rank elsewhere. This page keeps water volume only.
How much does Baikal hold?
23,610 km3. About 20 percent of fresh surface water.
Sources
- Limnology volume tables: Caspian 78,200; Baikal 23,610; Tanganyika 18,750; Superior 12,100; Malawi 8,640; Michigan 4,930; Huron 3,540; Victoria 2,750; Great Bear 2,236; Ontario 1,639 km3 water volume
Last verified: 2026-10-09 · 10 entries
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