The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Colombia fits inside the United States 8.6 times.
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 6.2 times as long as Colombia’s.
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 460 m above Colombia’s.
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 6.4 times as many people as Colombia.
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Colombia is 29% more densely populated than the United States.
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 5.1 cm taller than in Colombia.
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 5.3 cm taller than in Colombia.
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 6.4 years older than in Colombia.
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Colombia and the United States are practically level.
Colombia: 1.63 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 10% in Colombia.
Colombia: 10.2% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Colombia 0.4.
Colombia: 0.4 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
Colombia and the United States are practically level.
Colombia: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 67 times the size of Colombia’s.
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 4 times as much per person as Colombia.
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in the United States (Gini 12.6 points higher).
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Colombia, versus 4.2% in the United States.
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States and Colombia are practically level.
Colombia: 3.4% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 2.6× Colombia’s.
Colombia: 38% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 21 times as much on health per person as Colombia.
Colombia: $644 (2024) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 0.98 year longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Colombia is 91% more likely to die before turning one than in the United States.
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 45% more doctors per person than Colombia.
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 25% in Colombia.
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia.
Colombia: 8% (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 0.78 points higher than in Colombia.
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 2 times as much alcohol as in Colombia.
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 2 times as much meat per person as Colombia.
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 821 kcal more food per person per day than Colombia.
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 682 more hours a year than in the United States.
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 4.9 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 2.4 times as many tourists per resident as Colombia (2019).
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United States have electricity, versus 99% in Colombia.
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113.
Colombia: 174 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 69 times as long as Colombia’s.
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 3.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from Colombia.
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 53% of Colombia, but only 34% of the United States.
Colombia: 52.8% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 8.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States.
Colombia: 77% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Colombia carries 2 times as much fine dust as in the United States.
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.3 times as likely to be murdered in Colombia as in the United States.
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Colombia are 14% deadlier than in the United States.
Colombia: 16.2 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia is on average 14.1 °C warmer than the United States.
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 3.7 times as much rain as the United States.
Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Colombia bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Colombia fits inside the United States 8.6 times.
Which has more people, Colombia or the United States?
The United States has 6.4 times as many people as Colombia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or the United States?
People in the United States live 0.98 year longer than in Colombia. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Colombia or the United States?
Men in the United States are 5.1 cm taller than in Colombia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
