The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Venezuela fits inside the United States 11 times.
United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023) · Venezuela: 912,050 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 7.1 times as long as Venezuela’s.
United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition) · Venezuela: 2,800 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 1,212 m above Venezuela’s.
United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition) · Venezuela: 4,978 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 12 times as many people as Venezuela.
United States: 342 million (2025) · Venezuela: 28.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United States is 16% more densely populated than Venezuela.
United States: 37 per km² (2025) · Venezuela: 32 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 3.4 cm taller than in Venezuela.
United States: 176.9 cm (2019) · Venezuela: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 3.3 cm taller than in Venezuela.
United States: 163.3 cm (2019) · Venezuela: 160 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 9 years older than in Venezuela.
United States: 38 years (2023) · Venezuela: 29 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Venezuela have 0.5 more children on average than in the United States.
United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024) · Venezuela: 2.08 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 10% in Venezuela.
United States: 18.4% (2025) · Venezuela: 10% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Venezuela 0.7.
United States: 8.7 (2025) · Venezuela: 0.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
The United States and Venezuela are practically level.
United States: 1 (2026) · Venezuela: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 309 times the size of Venezuela’s.
United States: $30.8 trillion (2025) · Venezuela: $99.7 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
United States: Int$90,027 (2025) · Venezuela: no data
How evenly is income shared?
United States: 41.8 (2024) · Venezuela: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.3% in Venezuela, versus 4.2% in the United States.
United States: 4.2% (2025) · Venezuela: 5.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Venezuela 0.5%.
United States: 3.4% (2024) · Venezuela: 0.5% (2023)
How expensive is it?
United States: 100% (2025) · Venezuela: no data
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 72 times as much on health per person as Venezuela.
United States: $13,473 (2023) · Venezuela: $186 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 6.2 years longer than in Venezuela.
United States: 78.9 years (2024) · Venezuela: 72.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Venezuela is 3.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States.
United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Venezuela: 21.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 2.2 times as many doctors per person as Venezuela.
United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022) · Venezuela: 1.7 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 23% in Venezuela.
United States: 41.8% (2024) · Venezuela: 23% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
United States: 15.8% (2024) · Venezuela: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 1.06 points higher than in Venezuela.
United States: 6.82 (2025) · Venezuela: 5.76 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 3.7 times as much alcohol as in Venezuela.
United States: 9.6 litres (2023) · Venezuela: 2.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 3.2 times as much meat per person as Venezuela.
United States: 122.1 kg (2023) · Venezuela: 38 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,147 kcal more food per person per day than Venezuela.
United States: 3,947 kcal (2023) · Venezuela: 2,800 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Venezuela put in 40 more hours a year than in the United States.
United States: 1,789 hours (2023) · Venezuela: 1,829 hours (2014)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 4.2 years longer than in Venezuela.
United States: 13.9 years (2023) · Venezuela: 9.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 15 times as many tourists per resident as Venezuela (2019).
United States: 0.21 (2024) · Venezuela: 0.01 (2017)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 77% in Venezuela.
United States: 95% (2024) · Venezuela: 77% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The United States and Venezuela are practically level.
United States: 100% (2024) · Venezuela: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Venezuela live in cities, versus 80% in the United States.
United States: 80% (2025) · Venezuela: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United States has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Venezuela 71.
United States: 113 (2024) · Venezuela: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 332 times as long as Venezuela’s.
United States: 148,553 km (2021) · Venezuela: 447 km (2014)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 44 times as many passengers per resident as those from Venezuela.
United States: 2.75 (2023) · Venezuela: 0.06 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 52% of Venezuela, but only 34% of the United States.
United States: 33.9% (2023) · Venezuela: 52.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 3.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Venezuela.
United States: 14.2 t (2024) · Venezuela: 4.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
91% of Venezuela’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States.
United States: 25.6% (2025) · Venezuela: 91.1% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Venezuela carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in the United States.
United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Venezuela: 15.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.2 times as likely to be murdered in Venezuela as in the United States.
United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023) · Venezuela: 12.6 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 8% deadlier than in Venezuela.
United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021) · Venezuela: 13.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Venezuela is on average 15.5 °C warmer than the United States.
United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Venezuela: 25.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Venezuela gets 2.5 times as much rain as the United States.
United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Venezuela: 2,117 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the United States bigger than Venezuela?
The United States is larger. Venezuela fits inside the United States 11 times.
Which has more people, the United States or Venezuela?
The United States has 12 times as many people as Venezuela (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the United States or Venezuela?
People in the United States live 6.2 years longer than in Venezuela. Life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years in the United States and 72.7 in Venezuela.
Are people taller in the United States or Venezuela?
Men in the United States are 3.4 cm taller than in Venezuela (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
