The duel
- 88× The median country fits inside the United States 88 times
- 46× The United States has 46 times as many people as the median country
- +4.3 years People in the United States live 4.3 years longer than in the median country
- 4.3× The United States produces 4.3 times as much per person as the median country
World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside the United States 88 times.
United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 45 times as long as the median country’s.
United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 3,855 m above the median country’s.
United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 46 times as many people as the median country.
United States: 342 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 2.6 times as densely populated as the United States.
United States: 37 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 3.4 cm taller than in the median country.
United States: 176.9 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 2.8 cm taller than in the median country.
United States: 163.3 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 6.9 years older than in the median country.
United States: 38 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.3 more children on average than in the United States.
United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
United States: 18.4% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
United States: 8.7 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
The United States and the median country are practically level.
United States: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 676 times the size of the median country’s.
United States: $30.8 trillion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 4.3 times as much per person as the median country.
United States: Int$90,027 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in the median country (Gini 7.4 points higher).
United States: 41.8 (2024) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 4.2% in the United States.
United States: 4.2% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, the median country 1.7%.
United States: 3.4% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 2.2× the median country’s.
United States: 100% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 29 times as much on health per person as the median country.
United States: $13,473 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 4.3 years longer than in the median country.
United States: 78.9 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States.
United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 2.2 times as many doctors per person as the median country.
United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
United States: 41.8% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 16% in the United States.
United States: 15.8% (2024) · World median: 19% (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 the median country.
United States: 6.82 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 2.2 times as much alcohol as in the median country.
United States: 9.6 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 2.2 times as much meat per person as the median country.
United States: 122.1 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,010 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
United States: 3,947 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 185 more hours a year than in the United States.
United States: 1,789 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 4 years longer than in the median country.
United States: 13.9 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 62% more tourists per resident than the United States (2019).
United States: 0.21 (2024) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 82% in the median country.
United States: 95% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The United States and the median country are practically level.
United States: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
United States: 80% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113.
United States: 113 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 69 times as long as the median country’s.
United States: 148,553 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 12 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country.
United States: 2.75 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 31% of the median country.
United States: 33.9% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 4.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country.
United States: 14.2 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States.
United States: 25.6% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in the United States.
United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.6 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in the median country.
United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 15% deadlier than in the median country.
United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 12.7 °C warmer than the United States.
United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 19% more rain than the United States.
United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the United States bigger than the median country?
The United States is larger. The median country fits inside the United States 88 times.
Which has more people, the United States or the median country?
The United States has 46 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the United States or the median country?
People in the United States live 4.3 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years in the United States and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in the United States or the median country?
Men in the United States are 3.4 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
