The atlas in numbers
Castle statistics: the world's castles in numbers
How many castles there are, where they stand, and when they were built — measured across the 2,400 castles, fortresses and palaces of the Castlemap atlas.
- Landmarks
- 2,400
- Countries
- 131
- Castles
- 1,226
- Palaces & châteaux
- 712
- Fortresses
- 365
- Ruins
- 97
- In Europe
- 75.7%
- Peak century
- 13th
Every number on this page is computed from the atlas's open dataset — the same 2,400 landmarks you can explore on the interactive castle map or download free (CC0). The atlas is curated rather than exhaustive, so these are statistics about the world's significant castles: each entry has a documented story, a real photo and exact coordinates. Cite anything here — a link back is appreciated. Last computed 2026-07-12.
How many castles are there in the world?
No one has counted them all. Europe alone holds tens of thousands of castle sites — estimates for Germany alone run to some 25,000 — and most are unnamed ruins, earthworks or private homes. The Castlemap atlas curates the 2,400 most significant castles, fortresses and palaces worldwide: 1,226 castles, 712 palaces & châteaux, 365 fortresses and 97 ruins, spread across 131 countries.
Which country has the most castles?
France leads with 181, just ahead of Italy (178) and Germany (173). The atlas counts England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland separately — combined, the United Kingdom holds 302, more than any single country.
Which country has the most castles per person?
Among the 50 countries with at least ten atlas entries, Luxembourg has the most significant castles per capita: 28.4 per million residents — roughly one for every 35,000 people. Malta (18.2) and Wales (18.1) follow, with Scotland (15.8) the leader among countries of more than five million people.
Where are castles densest?
Malta is the most castle-dense country on Earth: 316.5 significant castles per 10,000 km² — about one every 32 km². Among countries larger than a city-state, Wales lives up to its reputation as castle country with 27.0 per 10,000 km², ahead of England (11.7) and Scotland (11.2).
| Country | Entries | Per 1M people | Per 10,000 km² |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇫🇷 France | 181 | 2.6 | 2.8 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 178 | 3.0 | 5.9 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 173 | 2.1 | 4.8 |
| 🏴 England | 152 | 2.6 | 11.7 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 99 | 0.8 | 2.6 |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 88 | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| 🏴 Scotland | 87 | 15.8 | 11.2 |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 75 | 2.0 | 2.4 |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 74 | 6.8 | 9.4 |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | 73 | 6.9 | 1.6 |
| 🇮🇳 India | 71 | 0.05 | 0.2 |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | 66 | 7.3 | 7.9 |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | 59 | 0.4 | 0.03 |
| 🏴 Wales | 56 | 18.1 | 27.0 |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | 46 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 45 | 8.3 | 9.2 |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 34 | 6.4 | 4.8 |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | 33 | 2.8 | 10.8 |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | 33 | 5.6 | 7.7 |
| 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 33 | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 31 | 0.09 | 0.03 |
| 🇬🇷 Greece | 30 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
| 🇭🇷 Croatia | 28 | 7.2 | 4.9 |
| 🇮🇷 Iran | 28 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 27 | 3.0 | 6.5 |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | 23 | 2.2 | 2.5 |
| Netherlands | 22 | 1.2 | 5.3 |
| 🇬🇪 Georgia | 21 | 5.7 | 3.0 |
| 🇸🇾 Syria | 21 | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 20 | 6.9 | 3.1 |
| 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 19 | 1.9 | 2.2 |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 19 | 28.4 | 73.5 |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | 19 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 18 | 5.6 | 3.5 |
| 🇷🇸 Serbia | 17 | 2.6 | 2.2 |
| 🇧🇾 Belarus | 16 | 1.8 | 0.8 |
| 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 16 | 2.5 | 1.4 |
| 🇦🇲 Armenia | 14 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| 🇬🇭 Ghana | 14 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| 🇨🇳 People's Republic of China | 14 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 14 | 6.7 | 6.9 |
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | 13 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | 13 | 2.3 | 0.4 |
| 🇭🇺 Hungary | 13 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| 🇱🇻 Latvia | 12 | 6.3 | 1.9 |
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 12 | 0.05 | 0.1 |
| 🇦🇱 Albania | 11 | 4.6 | 3.8 |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | 11 | 2.0 | 0.3 |
| 🇪🇪 Estonia | 10 | 7.1 | 2.2 |
| 🇲🇹 Malta | 10 | 18.2 | 316.5 |
Countries with ≥ 10 atlas entries. Population: UN 2024 estimates; area: total country figures. Rates measure significant castles in the atlas, not every fortified site.
When were castles built?
Of the 1,454 dated entries (60.6% of the atlas), the busiest founding century is the 13th — the high-medieval castle boom — and 43.7% were founded between 1000 and 1500. But building never stopped: castle foundings peak in the 13th century, palace foundings in the 18th, and the median dated entry is as late as 1536. Another 245 entries (16.9%) date from 1801 onward — the romantic revival that produced Neuschwanstein.
The oldest castles in the world
The oldest founding dates in the atlas reach back three millennia. A caveat borne of honesty: ancient sites usually carry the date of the first fortification on the spot, not the standing structure — Erebuni Fortress in modern Yerevan, founded by inscription in the 8th century BC, is the textbook case. The purpose-built medieval castle emerged only around the 10th century AD.
- Jaigarh Fort 1000 BC · India
- Avranlo Fortress 1000 BC · Georgia
- Carteia 939 BC · Spain
- Kirkuk Citadel 800 BC · Iraq
- Erebuni Fortress 781 BC · Urartu
- Acrocorinth 700 BC · Greece
- Ranikot Fort 449 BC · Pakistan
- Antonia Fortress 34 BC · Israel
- Domus Aurea 64 · Italy
- Domus Augustana 92 · Italy
Castles by continent
75.7% of the world's great castles stand in Europe — three in every four. Asia follows with 19.3%, led by Japan's 99 and India's 71.
UN geoscheme: Russia counted in Europe; Turkey and the Caucasus in Asia.
Geographic extremes
- Northernmost
- Vardøhus Fortress — Norway, 70.4°N
- Southernmost
- San Martín Palace — Argentina, 34.6°S
- Most-covered
- Palace of Versailles — 108 Wikipedia editions
- Most-read
- Neuschwanstein Castle — 876,367 views/yr
Fame has its own page: see all 2,400 castles ranked by fame, with the method explained.
Frequently asked questions
How many castles are there in the world?
No one has counted them all — Europe alone has tens of thousands of castle sites, and estimates for Germany alone run to some 25,000. The Castlemap atlas curates the 2,400 most significant castles, fortresses and palaces worldwide — 1,226 castles, 712 palaces, 365 fortresses and 97 ruins across 131 countries. Every statistic on this page is measured within that curated set.
Which country has the most castles?
In the Castlemap atlas, France has the most with 181 entries, followed by Italy (178) and Germany (173). Counted together, the United Kingdom's constituent countries — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — hold 302, more than any single country.
Which country has the most castles per capita?
Luxembourg, with 28.4 significant castles per million residents — roughly one for every 35,000 people. Malta (18.2) and Wales (18.1) follow. Among countries of more than five million people, Scotland leads with 15.8 per million.
What is the oldest castle in the world?
It depends on the definition. The oldest founding dates in the atlas reach back three millennia: Erebuni Fortress in modern Yerevan was founded, by inscription, in the 8th century BC. Ancient sites usually carry the date of the first fortification on the spot — the purpose-built medieval castle only emerged around the 10th century AD.
When were most castles built?
The single busiest century in the atlas is the 13th — 197 dated entries were founded then, and 43.7% of all dated entries were founded between 1000 and 1500. Palaces skew much later, which is why the median dated entry was founded in 1536 — castle-building peaks in the 13th century, palace-building in the 18th.
Are new castles still being built?
Yes — 245 atlas entries (16.9% of dated ones) were founded in 1801 or later, most of them romantic-revival castles and palaces such as Neuschwanstein Castle, begun in 1869.
Cite these statistics
Everything on this page is free to quote and republish. The underlying dataset is CC0 and free to download; it is also citable via DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21322360. A suggested credit:
Source: Castlemap — Castle statistics (https://thecastlemap.com/statistics/), data CC0.