The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Indonesia fits inside the United States 5.1 times.
Indonesia: 1,916,910 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Indonesia’s coastline is 2.7 times as long as the United States’.
Indonesia: 54,716 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 1,306 m above Indonesia’s.
Indonesia: 4,884 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 20% more people than Indonesia.
Indonesia: 286 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Indonesia is 4 times as densely populated as the United States.
Indonesia: 151 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 10.7 cm taller than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 166.3 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 8.9 cm taller than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 154.4 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 8.2 years older than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 29.8 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Indonesia have 0.5 more children on average than in the United States.
Indonesia: 2.12 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 7.5% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 7.5% (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, Indonesia 0.0.
Indonesia: 0 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
Indonesia and the United States are practically level.
Indonesia: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 21 times the size of Indonesia’s.
Indonesia: $1.45 trillion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 5.1 times as much per person as Indonesia.
Indonesia: Int$17,660 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Indonesia (Gini 7.4 points higher).
Indonesia: 34.4 (2025) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 3.2% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 3.2% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Indonesia 0.8%.
Indonesia: 0.8% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 3.5× Indonesia’s.
Indonesia: 29% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 102 times as much on health per person as Indonesia.
Indonesia: $132 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 7.6 years longer than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 71.3 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Indonesia is 2.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States.
Indonesia: 15.2 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 7 times as many doctors per person as Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.5 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 12% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 12% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
31% of adults in Indonesia smoke, versus 16% in the United States.
Indonesia: 31% (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 1.20 points higher than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 5.62 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 94 times as much alcohol as in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.1 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 6.1 times as much meat per person as Indonesia.
Indonesia: 20 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,047 kcal more food per person per day than Indonesia.
Indonesia: 2,900 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Indonesia put in 170 more hours a year than in the United States.
Indonesia: 1,958 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 5.2 years longer than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 8.7 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 4.4 times as many tourists per resident as Indonesia (2019).
Indonesia: 0.05 (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 73% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 73% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The United States and Indonesia are practically level.
Indonesia: 99.9% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 59% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 59% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Indonesia has 123 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113.
Indonesia: 123 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 27 times as long as Indonesia’s.
Indonesia: 5,483 km (2019) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 8.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.34 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 48% of Indonesia, but only 34% of the United States.
Indonesia: 47.7% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 2.9 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
26% of the United States’ electricity is renewable, versus 18% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 18.1% (2024) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Indonesia carries 2.5 times as much fine dust as in the United States.
Indonesia: 18.5 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 19 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.3 per 100k (2022) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 26% deadlier than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 11.3 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Indonesia is on average 15.3 °C warmer than the United States.
Indonesia: 25.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Indonesia gets 4 times as much rain as the United States.
Indonesia: 3,437 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Indonesia bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Indonesia fits inside the United States 5.1 times.
Which has more people, Indonesia or the United States?
The United States has 20% more people than Indonesia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Indonesia or the United States?
People in the United States live 7.6 years longer than in Indonesia. Life expectancy at birth is 71.3 years in Indonesia and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Indonesia or the United States?
Men in the United States are 10.7 cm taller than in Indonesia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
