Largest lakes & reservoirs in by water volume
The estimated volume of water that a lake contains is measured at the lake’s normal elevation. By this measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is Siberia’s Lake Baikal.Water Volume can be measured in acre-feet, in cubic miles, or in cubic kilometers. One acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre (43,560 square feet) to a depth of one foot. One cubic mile equals 3,379,200 acre-feet. One cubic kilometer equals 810,713 acre-feet. 1 acre-foot is equal to 325,851 US gallons. Siberia’s Lake Baikal contains about 6,276,367,740,000,000 gallons of freshwater – nearly 1 million gallons for every living person on earth.
The other – and more widely used – measure of a lake’s size is the lake’s surface acreage. By that measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is North America’s Lake Superior.
Note: In the United States, an acre foot is a unit of volume used to refer to large-scale bodies of water. It is defined by the volume of water needed to cover 1 acre of surface area to a depth of 1 foot.
You can find many of the the world’s largest lakes (by water volume) on LakeLubbers. Note: For some lakes, the water volume data is unknown or does not apply, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 2151 articles we have published for lakes.
Thinking about booking a lake vacation home rental, cabin or hotel?
Use our free interactive vacation rental map to search and compare multiple vacation properties at a glance. Enter a lake name, a state or city and then simply click on a listing to compare all similar properties, best rates and availability for your dates.Search results: Sort lakes by water volume
Below are lakes within Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in , only the 2151 lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Water vol. in ac-ft | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Loch Maree (Highlands & Moray Region, Scotland, Scotland, United Kingdom, United Kingdom) |
883,838 ac-ft | Remote, desolate, historic, beautiful: all of these describe Loch Maree. Located in the Highlands and Morey Region of Northwestern Scotland, Loch Mare … |
Lake Buchanan, TX (Hill Country Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
875,566 ac-ft | (Also known as "Big Buc") Lake Buchanan, the oldest and northernmost of the Highland Lakes, is known as “Big Buc” to the locals and anglers who regularly visit the area. It is … |
Stockton Lake, MO (Missouri, Southwest Missouri, US Midwest Region, USA) |
875,000 ac-ft | Stockton Lake is a popular recreational reservoir covering 24,900 acres on the western edge of the scenic Missouri Ozarks. Though perhaps not as widel … |
Upper Klamath Lake, OR (Oregon, Southern Oregon, US West Region, USA) |
873,000 ac-ft | Stretching for an impressive 30 miles, Upper Klamath Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the State of Oregon. Nestled in the Klamath Basin, it is s … |
Lake Lappajarvi, Finland (Finland, Western & Inner Finland Region) |
867,463 ac-ft | Lake Lappajarvi is different from most other lakes in Finland. The depression the lake lies in is actually a meteorite crater! An estimated 73 million … |
Great Sacandaga Lake, NY (Adirondacks Region, NY, Capital-Saratoga Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
865,473 ac-ft | (Also known as Great Sacanadaga Reservoir) Great Sacandaga Lake, located in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, is a reservoir built to control flooding on the Hudson River and the Sacandaga … |
Jackson Lake, WY (Northwest Wyoming, US West Region, USA, Wyoming) |
847,000 ac-ft | Jackson Lake is located in northwestern Wyoming, just south of Yellowstone National Park. It is in the heart of Grand Teton National Park, one of the … |
Diamond Valley Lake, CA (California, Inland Empire Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
800,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Diamond Valley Reservoir) Diamond Valley Lake lies between two mountains in California’s Inland Empire tourism region. The 4,500-acre lake is Southern California’s newest and l … |
Loch Rannoch (Perthshire Region, Scotland, Scotland, United Kingdom, United Kingdom) |
789,391 ac-ft | Nestled in the Perth and Kinross region of the Scottish Highlands, Loch Rannoch is a glacial freshwater lake often considered to be the most beautiful … |
Lake Meredith, TX (Panhandle Plains Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
779,556 ac-ft | (Also known as Meredith Reservoir) Lake Meredith is an impressive 16,441-acre reservoir in the Texas Plains Region of the Texas Panhandle, about 30 miles northeast of Amarillo. Managed … |
Ross Lake (British Columbia, Canada, Canada, North Central Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
770,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Ross Reservoir) Spectacular Ross Lake is one of the seldom seen gems in north-central Washington. This fantastic 22-mile long reservoir covers 11,680 acres along the … |
Whatcom Lake, WA (Northwest Washington & Islands, WA, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
767,700 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Whatcom) Whatcom Lake is a 5,000-acre natural lake surrounded by mountainous terrain located in Whatcom County, Washington. Whatcom is from a Nooksack Indian w … |