Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Mexico fits inside the United States 5 times.
Mexico: 1,957,190 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 2.1 times as long as Mexico’s.
Mexico: 9,330 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 554 m above Mexico’s.
Mexico: 5,636 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 2.6 times as many people as Mexico.
Mexico: 132 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Mexico is 82% more densely populated than the United States.
Mexico: 68 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 6.7 cm taller than in Mexico.
Mexico: 170.3 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 5.4 cm taller than in Mexico.
Mexico: 157.9 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 9.1 years older than in Mexico.
Mexico: 28.9 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Mexico have 0.3 more children on average than in the United States.
Mexico: 1.89 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 8.5% in Mexico.
Mexico: 8.5% (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, Mexico 0.2.
Mexico: 0.2 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
Mexico and the United States are practically level.
Mexico: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 17 times the size of Mexico’s.
Mexico: $1.83 trillion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 3.5 times as much per person as Mexico.
Mexico: Int$25,869 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Mexico than in the United States (Gini 0.8 points higher).
Mexico: 42.6 (2024) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 2.7% in Mexico.
Mexico: 2.7% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Mexico 0.9%.
Mexico: 0.9% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Mexico’s.
Mexico: 54% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 18 times as much on health per person as Mexico.
Mexico: $761 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 3.6 years longer than in Mexico.
Mexico: 75.3 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Mexico is 2.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States.
Mexico: 12.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 42% more doctors per person than Mexico.
Mexico: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 37% in Mexico.
Mexico: 37.4% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
The United States and Mexico are practically level.
Mexico: 15.7% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Mexico rate their lives 0.16 points higher than in the United States.
Mexico: 6.97 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 43% more alcohol than in Mexico.
Mexico: 6.7 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 56% more meat per person than Mexico.
Mexico: 78.2 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 643 kcal more food per person per day than Mexico.
Mexico: 3,305 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United States put in 160 more hours a year than in Mexico.
Mexico: 1,629 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 4.6 years longer than in Mexico.
Mexico: 9.3 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Mexico welcomed 62% more tourists per resident than the United States (2019).
Mexico: 0.34 (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 83% in Mexico.
Mexico: 83% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The United States and Mexico are practically level.
Mexico: 99.8% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
The United States and Mexico are practically level.
Mexico: 80% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Mexico has 116 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113.
Mexico: 116 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 6.4 times as long as Mexico’s.
Mexico: 23,389 km (2017) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 4.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from Mexico.
Mexico: 0.6 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
The United States and Mexico are practically level.
Mexico: 33.6% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Mexico.
Mexico: 3.5 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
26% of the United States’ electricity is renewable, versus 23% in Mexico.
Mexico: 23.1% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Mexico carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in the United States.
Mexico: 18.3 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 Mexico as in the United States.
Mexico: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 18% deadlier than in Mexico.
Mexico: 12 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mexico is on average 11.1 °C warmer than the United States.
Mexico: 21.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United States gets 8% more rain than Mexico.
Mexico: 788 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Mexico bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Mexico fits inside the United States 5 times.
Which has more people, Mexico or the United States?
The United States has 2.6 times as many people as Mexico (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Mexico or the United States?
People in the United States live 3.6 years longer than in Mexico. Life expectancy at birth is 75.3 years in Mexico and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Mexico or the United States?
Men in the United States are 6.7 cm taller than in Mexico (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
