The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Philippines fits inside the United States 33 times.
Philippines: 300,000 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The Philippines’ coastline is 82% longer than the United States’.
Philippines: 36,289 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 3,236 m above the Philippines’.
Philippines: 2,954 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 2.9 times as many people as the Philippines.
Philippines: 117 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Philippines is 10 times as densely populated as the United States.
Philippines: 392 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 11.7 cm taller than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 165.2 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 9.2 cm taller than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 154.1 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 13 years older than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 25.3 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Philippines have 0.3 more children on average than in the United States.
Philippines: 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 5.7% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 5.7% (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, the Philippines 0.1.
Philippines: 0.1 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Philippines has 2 official languages, the United States 1.
Philippines: 2 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 63 times the size of the Philippines’.
Philippines: $487 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 7.2 times as much per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: Int$12,577 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in the Philippines (Gini 2.5 points higher).
Philippines: 39.3 (2023) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 2.2% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 2.2% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, the Philippines 1.3%.
Philippines: 1.3% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 3× the Philippines’.
Philippines: 33% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 69 times as much on health per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: $194 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 8.9 years longer than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 69.9 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Philippines is 3.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States.
Philippines: 21.7 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 4.6 times as many doctors per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: 0.8 per 1,000 (2021) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 9.7% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 9.7% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in the Philippines smoke, versus 16% in the United States.
Philippines: 19.9% (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 0.61 points higher than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 6.21 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 57% more alcohol than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 6.1 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 3.6 times as much meat per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: 33.6 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 964 kcal more food per person per day than the Philippines.
Philippines: 2,983 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the Philippines put in 307 more hours a year than in the United States.
Philippines: 2,096 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 3.9 years longer than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 10 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 9.1 times as many tourists per resident as the Philippines (2019).
Philippines: 0.02 (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 67% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 67% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United States have electricity, versus 95% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 94.8% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 56% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 56% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Philippines has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113.
Philippines: 115 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 292 times as long as the Philippines’.
Philippines: 509 km (2016) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 7.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Philippines.
Philippines: 0.36 (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 24% of the Philippines.
Philippines: 24.5% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 9.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Philippines.
Philippines: 1.5 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 the Philippines.
Philippines: 23.3% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Philippines carries 3.1 times as much fine dust as in the United States.
Philippines: 23.1 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 33% more likely to be murdered in the United States than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 4.3 per 100k (2023) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 46% deadlier than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 9.7 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Philippines is on average 16.1 °C warmer than the United States.
Philippines: 26.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Philippines gets 3.5 times as much rain as the United States.
Philippines: 3,001 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Philippines bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. The Philippines fits inside the United States 33 times.
Which has more people, the Philippines or the United States?
The United States has 2.9 times as many people as the Philippines (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Philippines or the United States?
People in the United States live 8.9 years longer than in the Philippines. Life expectancy at birth is 69.9 years in the Philippines and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in the Philippines or the United States?
Men in the United States are 11.7 cm taller than in the Philippines (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
