Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Italy fits inside Russia 57 times
Italy: 302,070 km² (2024) · Russia: 17,125,200 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Russia’s coastline is 5 times as long as Italy’s
Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition) · Russia: 37,653 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Russia’s highest peak towers 894 m above Italy’s
Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition) · Russia: 5,642 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 44% of Italy, versus 13% of Russia
Italy: 43.6% (2024) · Russia: 13.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Russia has 2.4 times as many people as Italy
Italy: 58.9 million (2025) · Russia: 144 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Italy is 23 times as densely populated as Russia
Italy: 199 per km² (2025) · Russia: 9 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Russia are 2.2 cm taller than in Italy
Italy: 174.4 cm (2019) · Russia: 176.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Russia are 2.7 cm taller than in Italy
Italy: 161.8 cm (2019) · Russia: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Italy is 8 years older than in Russia
Italy: 47.5 years (2023) · Russia: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Russia have 0.2 more children on average than in Italy
Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024) · Russia: 1.42 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 18% in Russia
Italy: 25.1% (2025) · Russia: 17.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Italy hosts 40 times as many refugees per resident as Russia
Italy: 3.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Russia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Italy has produced 3.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Russia 2.0
Italy: 3.4 (2026) · Russia: 2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Italy and Russia are practically level
Italy: 1 (2026) · Russia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Russia and Italy are nearly identical here
Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025) · Russia: $2.56 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Italy produces 27% more per person than Russia
Italy: Int$62,803 (2025) · Russia: Int$49,568 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Italy than in Russia (Gini 1.3 points higher)
Italy: 34.3 (2023) · Russia: 33 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
0.9% of people in Italy live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Russia
Italy: 0.9% (2023) · Russia: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.4% in Italy, versus 2.1% in Russia
Italy: 6.4% (2025) · Russia: 2.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Russia spends 7.5% of its GDP on the military, Italy 1.9%
Italy: 1.9% (2025) · Russia: 7.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Italy’s central government collects 26% of GDP in tax, Russia’s 11%
Italy: 25.6% (2024) · Russia: 10.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Italy’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Russia’s
Italy: 69% (2025) · Russia: 35% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Italy spends 3.4 times as much on health per person as Russia
Italy: $3,398 (2024) · Russia: $1,003 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Italy live 11 years longer than in Russia
Italy: 84 years (2024) · Russia: 73.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Russia is 78% more likely to die before turning one than in Italy
Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Russia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Russia has 22% more doctors per person than Italy
Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Russia: 5.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Russia has 2.2 times as many hospital beds per person as Italy
Italy: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Russia: 6.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Russia is 3.5 times that in Italy
Italy: 5.7 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 19.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
21% of adults in Russia are obese, versus 18% in Italy
Italy: 17.9% (2024) · Russia: 21.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Russia smoke, versus 22% in Italy
Italy: 22.4% (2024) · Russia: 27% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Italy rate their lives 0.74 points higher than in Russia
Italy: 6.57 (2025) · Russia: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Russia drink 23% more alcohol than in Italy
Italy: 8.4 litres (2023) · Russia: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Russia has 19% more meat per person than Italy
Italy: 71.2 kg (2023) · Russia: 84.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Italy has 224 kcal more food per person per day than Russia
Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023) · Russia: 3,528 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Russia put in 385 more hours a year than in Italy
Italy: 1,701 hours (2023) · Russia: 2,087 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Russia went to school 1.6 years longer than in Italy
Italy: 10.8 years (2023) · Russia: 12.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Italy: 0.98 (2024) · Russia: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Italy has 29 more World Heritage sites than Russia (62 against 33)
Italy: 62 (2026) · Russia: 33 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Italy has won 829 Olympic medals, Russia 539
Italy: 829 (2026 edition) · Russia: 539 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in Russia are online, versus 89% in Italy
Italy: 89% (2024) · Russia: 94% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Italy: 274 Mbps (2026) · Russia: no data
Who has electricity at home?
Italy and Russia are practically level
Italy: 100% (2024) · Russia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
75% of people in Russia live in cities, versus 70% in Italy
Italy: 70% (2025) · Russia: 75% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Russia has 186 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Italy 133
Italy: 133 (2024) · Russia: 186 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Russia’s railway network is 4.9 times as long as Italy’s
Italy: 17,305 km (2021) · Russia: 85,544 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Russia fly 2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Italy
Italy: 0.34 (2023) · Russia: 0.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 51% of Russia, but only 32% of Italy
Italy: 31.8% (2024) · Russia: 50.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Russia emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Italy
Italy: 5.1 t (2024) · Russia: 12.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
49% of Italy’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Russia
Italy: 48.8% (2025) · Russia: 17.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Italy carries 18% more fine dust than in Russia
Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Russia: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 14 times as likely to be murdered in Russia as in Italy
Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 7.8 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Russia are 58% deadlier than in Italy
Italy: 8.5 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 13.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Italy is on average 16.5 °C warmer than Russia
Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: -2.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Italy gets 76% more rain than Russia
Italy: 1,030 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: 586 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Italy bigger than Russia?
Russia is larger. Italy fits inside Russia 57 times.
Which has more people, Italy or Russia?
Russia has 2.4 times as many people as Italy (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Italy or Russia?
People in Italy live 11 years longer than in Russia. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Italy and 73.4 in Russia.
Are people taller in Italy or Russia?
Men in Russia are 2.2 cm taller than in Italy (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
