Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Russia is 74% bigger than the United States
Russia: 17,125,200 km² (2024) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Russia’s coastline is 89% longer than the United States’
Russia: 37,653 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 548 m above Russia’s
Russia: 5,642 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of the United States, versus 13% of Russia
Russia: 13.2% (2024) · United States: 46.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 2.4 times as many people as Russia
Russia: 144 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United States is 4.3 times as densely populated as Russia
Russia: 9 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
The United States and Russia are practically level
Russia: 176.7 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Russia are 1.2 cm taller than in the United States
Russia: 164.5 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Russia is 1.4 years older than in the United States
Russia: 39.5 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.2 more children on average than in Russia
Russia: 1.42 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 18% in Russia
Russia: 17.8% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The United States hosts 16 times as many refugees per resident as Russia
Russia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · United States: 1.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Russia 2.0
Russia: 2 (2026) · United States: 8.7 (2026)
How many official languages?
Russia and the United States are practically level
Russia: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 12 times the size of Russia’s
Russia: $2.56 trillion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 82% more per person than Russia
Russia: Int$49,568 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Russia (Gini 8.8 points higher)
Russia: 33 (2023) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.1% of people in the United States live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Russia
Russia: 0.1% (2023) · United States: 1.1% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 2.1% in Russia
Russia: 2.1% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Russia spends 7.5% of its GDP on the military, the United States 3.1%
Russia: 7.5% (2025) · United States: 3.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Russia and the United States are practically level
Russia: 10.9% (2024) · United States: 10.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 2.8× Russia’s
Russia: 35% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 13 times as much on health per person as Russia
Russia: $1,003 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 5.4 years longer than in Russia
Russia: 73.4 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United States is 34% more likely to die before turning one than in Russia
Russia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Russia has 39% more doctors per person than the United States
Russia: 5.1 per 1,000 (2022) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Russia has 2.5 times as many hospital beds per person as the United States
Russia: 6.8 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Russia is 49% higher than in the United States
Russia: 19.8 per 100k (2023) · United States: 13.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 21% in Russia
Russia: 21.2% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Russia smoke, versus 16% in the United States
Russia: 27% (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 0.98 points higher than in Russia
Russia: 5.83 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Russia drink 9% more alcohol than in the United States
Russia: 10.4 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 44% more meat per person than Russia
Russia: 84.8 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 419 kcal more food per person per day than Russia
Russia: 3,528 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Russia put in 298 more hours a year than in the United States
Russia: 2,087 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 1.5 years longer than in Russia
Russia: 12.4 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Russia: no data · United States: 0.21 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Russia has 6 more World Heritage sites than the United States (33 against 27)
Russia: 33 (2026) · United States: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United States has won 3,137 Olympic medals, Russia 539
Russia: 539 (2026 edition) · United States: 3,137 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
The United States and Russia are practically level
Russia: 94% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Russia: no data · United States: 401 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Russia and the United States are practically level
Russia: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 75% in Russia
Russia: 75% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Russia has 186 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113
Russia: 186 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 74% longer than Russia’s
Russia: 85,544 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Russia
Russia: 0.69 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 51% of Russia, but only 34% of the United States
Russia: 50.8% (2024) · United States: 33.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 15% more CO₂ than someone in Russia
Russia: 12.3 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
26% of the United States’ electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Russia
Russia: 17.4% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Russia carries 72% more fine dust than in the United States
Russia: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 36% more likely to be murdered in Russia than in the United States
Russia: 7.8 per 100k (2024) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 2 times as deadly as in Russia
Russia: 13.4 per 100k (2023) · United States: 26.3 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United States is on average 12.9 °C warmer than Russia
Russia: -2.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United States gets 45% more rain than Russia
Russia: 586 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Russia bigger than the United States?
Russia is larger. Russia is 74% bigger than the United States.
Which has more people, Russia or the United States?
The United States has 2.4 times as many people as Russia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Russia or the United States?
People in the United States live 5.4 years longer than in Russia. Life expectancy at birth is 73.4 years in Russia and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Russia or the United States?
The United States and Russia are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
