Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
India fits inside the United States 3 times.
India: 3,287,260 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 2.8 times as long as India’s.
India: 7,000 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
India’s highest peak towers 2,396 m above the United States’.
India: 8,586 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
India has 4.3 times as many people as the United States.
India: 1.46 billion (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
India is 13 times as densely populated as the United States.
India: 492 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 10.4 cm taller than in India.
India: 166.5 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 8.1 cm taller than in India.
India: 155.2 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 10 years older than in India.
India: 28.1 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in India have 0.3 more children on average than in the United States.
India: 1.96 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 7.4% in India.
India: 7.4% (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, India 0.1.
India: 0.1 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
India has 3 official languages, the United States 1.
India: 3 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 7.8 times the size of India’s.
India: $3.96 trillion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 7.7 times as much per person as India.
India: Int$11,748 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in India (Gini 16.3 points higher).
India: 25.5 (2022) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
India and the United States are practically level.
India: 4.2% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, India 2.3%.
India: 2.3% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 4.3× India’s.
India: 23% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 159 times as much on health per person as India.
India: $85 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 6.7 years longer than in India.
India: 72.2 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in India is 4.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States.
India: 23.3 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 5.1 times as many doctors per person as India.
India: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 8.0% in India.
India: 8% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in India smoke, versus 16% in the United States.
India: 22.6% (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 2.28 points higher than in India.
India: 4.54 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 82% more alcohol than in India.
India: 5.2 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 15 times as much meat per person as India.
India: 8.1 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,279 kcal more food per person per day than India.
India: 2,669 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in India put in 594 more hours a year than in the United States.
India: 2,383 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 7 years longer than in India.
India: 6.9 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 31 times as many tourists per resident as India (2019).
India: 0.01 (2024) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 70% in India.
India: 70% (2025) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The United States and India are practically level.
India: 99.9% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 36% in India.
India: 36% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United States has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, India 79.
India: 79 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 2.2 times as long as India’s.
India: 68,103 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 22 times as many passengers per resident as those from India.
India: 0.12 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 25% of India.
India: 24.5% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 6.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in India.
India: 2.2 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
26% of the United States’ electricity is renewable, versus 24% in India.
India: 24.1% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in India carries 5.9 times as much fine dust as in the United States.
India: 44.2 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in India.
India: 2.8 per 100k (2022) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in India are 3% deadlier than in the United States.
India: 14.6 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
India is on average 14.2 °C warmer than the United States.
India: 24.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
India gets 49% more rain than the United States.
India: 1,268 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is India bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. India fits inside the United States 3 times.
Which has more people, India or the United States?
India has 4.3 times as many people as the United States (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, India or the United States?
People in the United States live 6.7 years longer than in India. Life expectancy at birth is 72.2 years in India and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in India or the United States?
Men in the United States are 10.4 cm taller than in India (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
