Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Canada is 59% bigger than the United States
Canada: 15,634,400 km² (2024) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Canada’s coastline is 10 times as long as the United States’
Canada: 202,080 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 231 m above Canada’s
Canada: 5,959 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of the United States, versus 6.5% of Canada
Canada: 6.5% (2024) · United States: 46.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 8.2 times as many people as Canada
Canada: 41.7 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United States is 7.9 times as densely populated as Canada
Canada: 5 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Canada are 1.8 cm taller than in the United States
Canada: 178.8 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Canada are 1.4 cm taller than in the United States
Canada: 164.7 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Canada is 2.3 years older than in the United States
Canada: 40.3 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.4 more children on average than in Canada
Canada: 1.25 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Canada are 65 or older, versus 18% in the United States
Canada: 20.3% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Canada hosts 7.5 times as many refugees per resident as the United States
Canada: 10 per 1,000 (2025) · United States: 1.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Canada 5.5
Canada: 5.5 (2026) · United States: 8.7 (2026)
How many official languages?
Canada has 2 official languages, the United States 1
Canada: 2 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 13 times the size of Canada’s
Canada: $2.32 trillion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 35% more per person than Canada
Canada: Int$66,746 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Canada (Gini 10.3 points higher)
Canada: 31.5 (2022) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.1% of people in the United States live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.3% in Canada
Canada: 0.3% (2022) · United States: 1.1% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.9% in Canada, versus 4.2% in the United States
Canada: 6.9% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, Canada 1.6%
Canada: 1.6% (2025) · United States: 3.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Canada’s central government collects 14% of GDP in tax, the United States’ 11%
Canada: 13.7% (2024) · United States: 10.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Canada’s
Canada: 83% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 2.1 times as much on health per person as Canada
Canada: $6,378 (2024) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Canada live 3.2 years longer than in the United States
Canada: 82.1 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United States is 17% more likely to die before turning one than in Canada
Canada: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 31% more doctors per person than Canada
Canada: 2.8 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United States has 6% more hospital beds per person than Canada
Canada: 2.5 per 1,000 (2022) · United States: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the United States is 58% higher than in Canada
Canada: 8.4 per 100k (2023) · United States: 13.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 27% in Canada
Canada: 27.1% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 11% in Canada
Canada: 11.2% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 0.08 points higher than in Canada
Canada: 6.74 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 3% more alcohol than in Canada
Canada: 9.2 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 29% more meat per person than Canada
Canada: 94.8 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 357 kcal more food per person per day than Canada
Canada: 3,590 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United States put in 58 more hours a year than in Canada
Canada: 1,731 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
The United States and Canada are practically level
Canada: 13.9 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Canada welcomed 2.3 times as many tourists per resident as the United States (2019)
Canada: 0.48 (2024) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United States has 5 more World Heritage sites than Canada (27 against 22)
Canada: 22 (2026) · United States: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United States has won 3,137 Olympic medals, Canada 597
Canada: 597 (2026 edition) · United States: 3,137 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
The United States and Canada are practically level
Canada: 94% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United States is 12% faster than in Canada
Canada: 357 Mbps (2026) · United States: 401 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Canada and the United States are practically level
Canada: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in Canada live in cities, versus 80% in the United States
Canada: 83% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United States has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Canada 94
Canada: 94 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 3.1 times as long as Canada’s
Canada: 48,150 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 29% more passengers per resident than those from Canada
Canada: 2.13 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 42% of Canada, but only 34% of the United States
Canada: 42% (2024) · United States: 33.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 6% more CO₂ than someone in Canada
Canada: 13.4 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
64% of Canada’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States
Canada: 63.9% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United States carries 7% more fine dust than in Canada
Canada: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.9 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in Canada
Canada: 2 per 100k (2023) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 3.5 times as deadly as in Canada
Canada: 7.6 per 100k (2023) · United States: 26.3 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United States is on average 13.3 °C warmer than Canada
Canada: -3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United States gets 24% more rain than Canada
Canada: 683 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Canada bigger than the United States?
Canada is larger. Canada is 59% bigger than the United States.
Which has more people, Canada or the United States?
The United States has 8.2 times as many people as Canada (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Canada or the United States?
People in Canada live 3.2 years longer than in the United States. Life expectancy at birth is 82.1 years in Canada and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Canada or the United States?
Men in Canada are 1.8 cm taller than in the United States (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
