thirdlargest

Thirdlargest is a term used to denote the item in a ranked list that occupies the third position when items are ordered by a specified size criterion. The term is not a fixed object; its identity depends on what is being measured (such as land area, population, GDP, or orbital size) and on the data source or method used to construct the ranking. In written English, third-largest is often hyphenated; some lists or databases may store it as a single word or vary by style.

Common applications include geography, where the third-largest country by land area is the United States after Russia and Canada. In demographic rankings, the United States is typically the third-most populous country behind China and India. In astronomy, Uranus is the third-largest planet in the solar system by both diameter and mass, following Jupiter and Saturn.

Rankings can change with new measurements, redefinitions, or updated data. Differences may arise from whether territories are included in area, whether population counts urban agglomerations or administrative units, or whether GDP is measured nominally or at purchasing power parity. Therefore, the designation "third-largest" should be understood as a relative label tied to a specific criterion and source.

See also: largest; ranking; ordinal numbers.