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Brazil vs USA Size: How Do They Actually Compare?

By SimpleMapLab·Published 16 May 2026·Reviewed against CIA Factbook, IBGE Brazil, IMF·CC-BY 4.0

Two continental-scale countries — both top-10 by area, both top-10 by population. The USA covers 3,796,742 sq mi; Brazil covers 3,287,597 sq mi. The USA is 1.15× larger — about half a million sq mi more (Texas + Colorado). But Brazil covers 47% of South America, contains 60% of the Amazon rainforest, and its land area exceeds the entire US lower-48.

Brazil overlaid inside USA at true equal-area scale.USA is 1.15× the size of BrazilUSA 3,796,742 sq mi · Brazil 3,287,597 sq miUSABrazilsimplemaplab.com/size-comparisons/brazil-vs-usa · CC-BY 4.0
Brazil overlaid inside the USA outline at true equal-area scale. Brazil covers ~87% of the USA — the leftover area (509K sq mi) is roughly Texas + Colorado.
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At a glance: Brazil vs USA by the numbers

MetricUSABrazilRatio
Total area (sq mi)3,796,7423,287,5971.15× US
Land area (sq mi)3,531,9053,265,0801.08× US
Population (2024)334,900,000217,500,0001.54× US
Density (/sq mi)95661.44× US
GDP (2024 nominal)$28.8T$2.2T13.20× US
Per-capita GDP$86,000$10,0408.57× US
Coastline (mi)12,3804,6552.66× US
Highest pointDenali, 20,310 ftPico da Neblina, 9,823 ft2.07× US
Longest riverMissouri, 2,341 miAmazon (Brazilian section), 4,345 mi1.86× US
Time zones64—
Sub-units50 states + DC26 states + Federal District—

Brazil covers 47% of South America

Brazil is the 5th-largest country in the world and dominates the South American continent. Brazil's 3.29 million sq mi accounts for approximately 47% of all South America (which totals about 6.88M sq mi). The next-largest South American country, Argentina, is 1.07M sq mi — Argentina would fit inside Brazil 3.1 times.

Brazil borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador — 10 of the 12 South American sovereign states. Its 10,492-mile land border is the third-longest international border in the world after the USA-Canada (5,525 mi) and Russia-Kazakhstan (4,254 mi) borders.

The Amazon: 1.62 million sq mi of Brazilian rainforest

The Amazon rainforest covers approximately 2.7 million sq mi across nine South American countries. Brazil contains 60% of it — about 1.62 million sq mi. That's about half of Brazil's total area and:

The Brazilian state of Amazonas alone — 605,930 sq mi — is bigger than every US state except Alaska. If Amazonas were an independent country, it would rank as the world's 18th-largest, between Saudi Arabia and Mexico. Amazonas has a population of about 4 million on territory larger than France + Germany + the UK + Italy combined.

The economic gap: USA $28.8T vs Brazil $2.2T

Despite being similar in area, the USA and Brazil have economies an order of magnitude apart. The USA's 2024 GDP of $28.78 trillion is 13.2× Brazil's $2.18 trillion. Brazil ranks #9 globally by nominal GDP; the USA is #1.

Per capita: USA ~$86,000 vs Brazil ~$10,040 — the USA is 8.6× wealthier per person. The gap is structural: the USA leads in tech, finance, and high-margin services; Brazil's economy is more weighted toward agriculture, mining, and manufacturing.

Bilateral trade between the USA and Brazil reached ~$78 billion in 2024. Brazil is the USA's largest South American trading partner; the USA is Brazil's second-largest trading partner after China. Major Brazilian exports to the USA: aircraft (Embraer), coffee, beef, iron ore, soybeans.

Population: USA 1.54× Brazil, but Brazil more concentrated in cities

The USA has 335 million people vs Brazil's 217 million — USA is 1.54× more populous. Density: USA 95/sq mi vs Brazil 66/sq mi — USA is 1.44× denser. Both are well below world average (~150/sq mi).

Brazil's population is heavily coastal. About 80% of Brazilians live within 200 miles of the Atlantic coast. São Paulo (12.4M city / 22.4M metro) is the 4th-largest metropolitan area in the world. Rio de Janeiro (6.8M / 13.7M metro), Brasília (3.1M), Salvador (2.9M), and Fortaleza (2.7M) round out the top 5. The interior — the Cerrado, the Pantanal, the Amazon — is sparsely populated.

The USA's population is more dispersed: the Northeast Corridor (Boston-NYC-Philly-DC, ~50M), California (40M), Texas (30M), Florida (22M), the Midwest industrial belt. The USA has many large mega-regions; Brazil has one dominant region (the Southeast) plus a few secondary clusters.

Drawn to scale: Brazil next to the USA

Both countries rendered at the same area-per-pixel scale, side by side.

USA next to Brazil at the same pixel scale.USA is 1.15× BrazilUnited States3,796,742 sq miBrazil3,287,597 sq mi
USA and Brazil at equal area scale. USA with standard US Albers; Brazil with rotate 55°, parallels −25/5°N. Both equal-area-preserving.

What else is the size of Brazil?

What else is the size of the USA?

12 surprising facts about Brazil vs USA

  1. The USA is 1.15× Brazil. 509,000 sq mi larger — the size of Texas + Colorado.
  2. Brazil covers 47% of South America. Almost half the continent.
  3. The Brazilian Amazon alone is bigger than India. 1.62M vs 1.27M sq mi.
  4. Brazil's land area exceeds the USA lower 48. 3.29M vs 2.95M sq mi. The USA wins overall only by including Alaska.
  5. The USA has 1.54× Brazil's population. 335M vs 217M.
  6. The USA economy is 13.2× Brazil's. $28.8T vs $2.2T nominal.
  7. Brazil + Argentina = 1.15× the USA. 4.36M sq mi together.
  8. The Amazon River is 1.86× the longest US river. 4,345 mi vs 2,341 mi Missouri.
  9. The USA has 2.66× more coastline. 12,380 mi vs 4,655 mi.
  10. Brazil's state of Amazonas alone is bigger than every US state except Alaska. 605,930 sq mi.
  11. Brazil borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador. 10 of 12 neighbors.
  12. Brazilian Portuguese has 20× more speakers than Portuguese in Portugal. 215M+ vs 10M.

Methodology and sources

Area: CIA World Factbook 2024 + IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) 2024.

Population + GDP: IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2024), UN DESA 2024.

Amazon rainforest figures: WWF + Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

Projections: Brazil with rotate 55°, parallels −25/5°N; USA with standard US Albers. Both equal-area-preserving. Last reviewed 16 May 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, by 1.15×. The USA covers 3,796,742 sq mi; Brazil covers 3,287,597 sq mi. The USA is about 509,000 sq mi larger — an area roughly the size of Texas + Colorado combined. Both are continental-scale countries; the USA ranks #3 by area in the world, Brazil ranks #5.
The USA is 1.15× Brazil — 509,145 sq mi more land. That gap is bigger than Texas + Colorado, or about the size of Alaska minus its eastern third. Brazil's land area exceeds the entire contiguous lower 48 of the USA: 3.29M vs 2.95M sq mi. The USA's overall advantage comes mostly from Alaska.
Yes, by a wide margin. Brazil covers approximately 47% of the South American continent (which totals ~6.88 million sq mi). The next-largest South American country, Argentina, is 1,073,500 sq mi — about a third of Brazil. Brazil borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador.
The USA has 1.54× Brazil's population. USA: 334.9 million. Brazil: 217.5 million. Both rank in the world's top 10 by population (USA #3, Brazil #7). Density: USA 95/sq mi vs Brazil 66/sq mi — the USA is 1.44× denser, but both are well below world average (~150/sq mi).
The USA, by 13.2×. USA GDP (2024 nominal): $28.78 trillion. Brazil GDP: $2.18 trillion. The USA economy is the world's largest; Brazil ranks roughly #9 globally by nominal GDP and #8 by PPP. Per capita: USA ~$86,000 vs Brazil ~$10,040 — the USA is 8.6× wealthier per person.
The Amazon rainforest covers approximately 2.7 million sq mi total, of which 60% — ~1.62 million sq mi — is within Brazil. That's about half of Brazil's total area and bigger than the entire country of India (1.27M sq mi). The Brazilian Amazon alone is bigger than Mexico + Texas + California combined.
The USA, by 2.66×. USA: 12,380 mi. Brazil: 4,655 mi. The USA has Atlantic + Pacific + Gulf + Alaska + Hawaii coasts; Brazil has only Atlantic-facing coastline along its eastern edge (from French Guiana border in the north to Uruguay border in the south).
South America covers ~6.88 million sq mi — about 1.81× the USA. The USA fits inside South America with 3.1M sq mi to spare. Brazil alone (~47% of South America) is 87% of the USA's size — so Brazil + Argentina combined (4.36M sq mi) is 1.15× the USA.
Brazil (3,287,597 sq mi) is approximately the size of: USA × 0.87, Australia × 1.11, Europe (excluding Russia) × 1.43, China × 0.89, or all of South America × 0.48. Brazil is bigger than every European country combined except for European Russia.
Brazil has 4 time zones spanning UTC-2 (Fernando de Noronha and some Atlantic islands) to UTC-5 (western Acre state). Mainland Brazil mostly uses Brasília Time (UTC-3, BRT). The USA has 6 time zones spanning UTC-5 (Eastern) to UTC-10 (Hawaii-Aleutian).
Amazonas (the largest Brazilian state) covers 605,930 sq mi — bigger than every US state except Alaska. Amazonas is larger than France + Germany + UK + Italy combined, with a population of about 4 million on land that would rank as the 18th-largest country in the world if independent.
The USA's de facto language is English (~78% of households); Brazil's official language is Portuguese (spoken by ~98% of the population). Brazil is the largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world, with more Portuguese speakers than Portugal × 20. The USA has 1 dominant language; Brazil also has 1 dominant language but with 274 indigenous languages still spoken.
Brazil and the USA are major trading partners (~$78 billion in annual bilateral trade as of 2024). Brazil is the largest economy in Latin America and the second-largest in the Americas after the USA. Diplomatic relations have been continuous since 1824 (US recognition of Brazilian independence). Both are founding members of the UN, G20, and BRICS (Brazil is BRICS; the USA is in the G7).

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Suggested citation: SimpleMapLab (2026). Brazil vs USA Size. Retrieved from https://www.simplemaplab.com/size-comparisons/brazil-vs-usa. CC-BY 4.0.