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.
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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 |
|---|---|---|
| Copco Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
46,867 ac-ft | Copco Lake is tucked snugly away into the mountainous country of northern California’s Shasta Cascade region. The region, named after the indigenous S… |
| Lake Cherokee, TX (Piney Woods Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
46,700 ac-ft | (Also known as Cherokee Lake) Strong community values, a solid commitment to neighborhood prosperity, access to convenience and comfort, and year-round fun are the terms that descr… |
| Okatibbee Lake, MS (Mississippi, Pines Region, MS, US South Region, USA) |
46,538 ac-ft | Okatibbe Lake, located a few miles northwest of Meridian in the Pines Region of eastern Mississippi, is a nature lover’s retreat and water enthusiast’… |
| Lake Kegonsa, WI (Southern Savanna Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
46,033 ac-ft | (Also known as Yahara Chain of Lakes) Lake Kegonsa gets its name from “Ke-go-e,” the Chippewa word for fish, and it has been called the “Lake of Many Fishes.” The lake is in Dane County ne… |
| Lake Maxinkuckee, IN (Indiana, North Indiana, US Midwest Region, USA) |
45,600 ac-ft | Lake Maxinkuckee is a vibrant 1,850-acre lake in the north-central part of Indiana and is the state’s second largest natural lake. The oblong-shaped l… |
| Bass Lake, CA (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
45,410 ac-ft | (Also known as Crane Valley Reservoir) Snuggled into the heart of the Sierra National Forest and located at the southern entrance of Yosemite National Park, Bass Lake enjoys an ideal Califo… |
| Lake Weohyakapka, FL (Florida, US South Region, USA, West Central Florida) |
45,168 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Walk-in-Water) In Polk County Florida lies a lake shrouded in a little bit of secrecy, known as Lake Weohyakapka. It is a quiet lake — though getting more and more… |
| Barrett Lake, CA (California, San Diego County, CA, US West Region, USA) |
45,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Barrett, Barrett Reservoir) Tucked away in a solitary fishing hole, a fisherman casts and pulls in a trophy-sized Northern-strain large mouth bass. The opportunity to catch troph… |
| Caspian Lake (Northeast Kingdom Region, VT, US New England Region, USA, Vermont) |
44,973 ac-ft | Tucked into Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Caspian Lake may well be one of the state’s favorite vacation destinations. Set among the northern reaches of… |
| Lac de Guerledan (Brittany Region, Western France, France, Western France Region) |
44,589 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Guerledan) Lac de Guerledan is the largest lake in Western France’s Brittany tourism region, situated deep within the Argoat forest. The artificial lake is a fam… |
| Highland Lake (Bridgton), ME (Lakes & Mountains Region, ME, Maine, US New England Region, USA) |
44,030 ac-ft | (Also known as Crotched Pond) Located in the Lakes and Mountains Region of Southwestern Maine, Highland Lake has long been a favored freshwater getaway. Once called Crotched Pond,… |
| Gull Lake, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
43,900 ac-ft | (Also known as Brainerd Lakes) Gull Lake, located in the Central Region of Minnesota’s “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, boasts 9,418 surface acres and 38 miles of pristine shoreline. The dee… |