The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Tuvalu fits inside the United States 327,717 times.
Tuvalu: 30 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 830 times as long as Tuvalu’s.
Tuvalu: 24 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 6,185 m above Tuvalu’s.
Tuvalu: 5 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 36,008 times as many people as Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 9,492 (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Tuvalu is 8.5 times as densely populated as the United States.
Tuvalu: 316 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 5.6 cm taller than in Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 171.3 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Tuvalu and the United States are practically level.
Tuvalu: 163.6 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 14 years older than in Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 24.3 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Tuvalu have 1.5 more children on average than in the United States.
Tuvalu: 3.17 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 7.0% in Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 7% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Tuvalu: no data · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
Tuvalu has 2 official languages, the United States 1.
Tuvalu: 2 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 536,568 times the size of Tuvalu’s.
Tuvalu: $57.3 million (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 13 times as much per person as Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: Int$6,759 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Tuvalu: no data · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Tuvalu: no data · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Tuvalu: no data · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Tuvalu’s.
Tuvalu: 89% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 7.8 times as much on health per person as Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: $1,724 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 12 years longer than in Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 67.3 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Tuvalu is 3 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States.
Tuvalu: 16.5 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 2.7 times as many doctors per person as Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
65% of adults in Tuvalu are obese, versus 42% in the United States.
Tuvalu: 64.7% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
33% of adults in Tuvalu smoke, versus 16% in the United States.
Tuvalu: 33.4% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Tuvalu: no data · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 13 times as much alcohol as in Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 0.8 litres (2017) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 43% more meat per person than Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 85.1 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 652 kcal more food per person per day than Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 3,295 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Tuvalu: no data · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 3.1 years longer than in Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 10.8 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 8.7 times as many tourists per resident as Tuvalu (2019).
Tuvalu: 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 35% in Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 35% (2017) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Tuvalu and the United States are practically level.
Tuvalu: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 65% in Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 65% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United States has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Tuvalu 99.
Tuvalu: 99 (2022) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Tuvalu: no data · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Tuvalu: no data · 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 33% of Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 33.3% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 12 times as much CO₂ as someone in Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 1.2 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
Tuvalu: no data · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United States carries 67% more fine dust than in Tuvalu.
Tuvalu: 4.5 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Tuvalu: 0 per 100k (2019) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Tuvalu are 26% deadlier than in the United States.
Tuvalu: 17.9 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Tuvalu: no data · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Tuvalu: no data · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Tuvalu bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Tuvalu fits inside the United States 327,717 times.
Which has more people, Tuvalu or the United States?
The United States has 36,008 times as many people as Tuvalu (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Tuvalu or the United States?
People in the United States live 12 years longer than in Tuvalu. Life expectancy at birth is 67.3 years in Tuvalu and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Tuvalu or the United States?
Men in the United States are 5.6 cm taller than in Tuvalu (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
