The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Singapore fits inside the United States 13,505 times.
Singapore: 728 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 103 times as long as Singapore’s.
Singapore: 193 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 6,024 m above Singapore’s.
Singapore: 166 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 56 times as many people as Singapore.
Singapore: 6.11 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Singapore is 228 times as densely populated as the United States.
Singapore: 8,511 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 3.4 cm taller than in Singapore.
Singapore: 173.5 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 2.0 cm taller than in Singapore.
Singapore: 161.3 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 2.9 years older than in Singapore.
Singapore: 35.1 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.7 more children on average than in Singapore.
Singapore: 0.97 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 14% in Singapore.
Singapore: 14.2% (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, Singapore 0.0.
Singapore: 0 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
Singapore has 4 official languages, the United States 1.
Singapore: 4 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 51 times the size of Singapore’s.
Singapore: $604 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Singapore produces 81% more per person than the United States.
Singapore: Int$163,354 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Singapore: no data · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 2.8% in Singapore.
Singapore: 2.8% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Singapore 2.8%.
Singapore: 2.8% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Singapore’s.
Singapore: 60% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 3.4 times as much on health per person as Singapore.
Singapore: $3,922 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Singapore live 4.5 years longer than in the United States.
Singapore: 83.3 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United States is 2.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Singapore.
Singapore: 2.2 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 30% more doctors per person than Singapore.
Singapore: 2.8 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 17% in Singapore.
Singapore: 16.8% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 14% in Singapore.
Singapore: 13.8% (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 0.23 points higher than in Singapore.
Singapore: 6.59 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 4.4 times as much alcohol as in Singapore.
Singapore: 2.2 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Singapore: no data · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Singapore: no data · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Singapore put in 494 more hours a year than in the United States.
Singapore: 2,283 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 1.9 years longer than in Singapore.
Singapore: 12 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Singapore welcomed 10 times as many tourists per resident as the United States (2019).
Singapore: 2.16 (2024) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
The United States and Singapore are practically level.
Singapore: 94% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Singapore and the United States are practically level.
Singapore: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
100% of people in Singapore live in cities, versus 80% in the United States.
Singapore: 100% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Singapore has 171 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113.
Singapore: 171 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Singapore: no data · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Singapore fly 2.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from the United States.
Singapore: 7.77 (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 21% of Singapore.
Singapore: 20.9% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 54% more CO₂ than someone in Singapore.
Singapore: 9.2 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
26% of the United States’ electricity is renewable, versus 5.5% in Singapore.
Singapore: 5.5% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Singapore carries 63% more fine dust than in the United States.
Singapore: 12.2 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 83 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in Singapore.
Singapore: 0.1 per 100k (2023) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 7.5 times as deadly as in Singapore.
Singapore: 1.9 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Singapore: no data · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Singapore: no data · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Singapore bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Singapore fits inside the United States 13,505 times.
Which has more people, Singapore or the United States?
The United States has 56 times as many people as Singapore (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Singapore or the United States?
People in Singapore live 4.5 years longer than in the United States. Life expectancy at birth is 83.3 years in Singapore and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Singapore or the United States?
Men in the United States are 3.4 cm taller than in Singapore (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
