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USA vs Canada Size: How Do They Actually Compare?

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

The two largest countries in North America are virtually tied in area. Canada covers 3,855,100 sq mi; the USA covers 3,796,742 sq mi. Canada is 1.02× larger — just 58,378 sq mi more (the size of Iowa). But the USA has 8.21× the population, a 13× larger economy, and they share the world's longest peaceful border at 5,525 miles.

USA overlaid inside Canada at true equal-area scale. The USA fills approximately 98.5% of Canada — virtually tied.Canada is 1.015× the size of the USACanada 3,855,100 sq mi · USA 3,796,742 sq mi · CIA Factbook 2024CANADAUSAsimplemaplab.com/size-comparisons/usa-vs-canada · CC-BY 4.0
USA overlaid inside Canada at true equal-area scale. The USA fills approximately 98.5% of Canada — the visible 1.5% margin is the genuine size difference (Iowa-sized).
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At a glance: USA vs Canada by the numbers

MetricCanadaUSARatio
Total area (sq mi)3,855,1003,796,7421.02× CA
Land area (sq mi)3,511,0223,531,9051.01× US
Population (2024)40,770,000334,900,0008.21× US
Density (/sq mi)10.6958.96× US
GDP (2024 nominal)$2.2T$28.8T13.08× US
Per-capita GDP$54,000$86,0001.59× US
Coastline (mi)151,48512,38012.24× CA
Highest pointMount Logan, 19,551 ftDenali, 20,310 ft1.04× US
Longest riverMackenzie, 2,635 miMissouri, 2,341 mi1.13× CA
Time zones66—
Sub-units10 prov + 3 terr50 states + DC—
Land borders1 (USA)2 (CA, MX)—
Active military67,0001,400,00020.90× US

The size tie: Canada vs USA — depends on what you count

Canada and the USA are within 2% of each other in total area — effectively tied at the country scale. The exact ranking depends on what you include.

Total area (incl. water): Canada 3,855,100 sq mi vs USA 3,796,742 sq mi. Canada wins by 1.5%. This is the figure CIA Factbook reports.

Land area only: USA 3,531,905 sq mi vs Canada 3,511,022 sq mi. The USA wins by 0.6%. By land-only, the USA is the larger country.

The difference is water. Canada includes the share of the Great Lakes that lies on the Canadian side, its enormous Hudson Bay (which counts as Canadian territorial waters extending offshore), and the waterways of the Canadian Arctic archipelago. The USA also includes its Great Lakes share but has less large inland water relative to its total area.

For most rankings, Canada is listed as #2 in the world by area (after Russia) and the USA as #3 or #4 (alternating with China depending on source). Both are within 2% of each other.

The population inverse: USA has 8× more people on slightly less land

The most striking difference is population. The USA has 334.9 million people; Canada has 40.77 million. The USA is 8.21× more populous on slightly less land — making the USA 8.96× denser than Canada (95 vs 10.6 per sq mi).

Canada's population is uniquely concentrated. Roughly 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the US border. The northern 90% of Canada — Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, most of northern Quebec and Ontario — is essentially uninhabited. The northernmost permanent settlement (Alert, on Ellesmere Island) has 62 residents. Most Canadian provinces have populations smaller than US cities:

The USA has nothing comparable. Even Alaska (1.29/sq mi) has higher density than half of Canada's territories. The USA's population is spread more evenly across its land — the densest US states have density 1,263/sq mi (NJ), while the densest Canadian province (PEI) is 65/sq mi.

The world's longest peaceful border (5,525 miles)

The USA and Canada share a border of 5,525 miles (8,891 km) — the world's longest international border between two countries. It comprises 3,987 mi of US-Canada mainland border plus 1,538 mi between Alaska and the Yukon/British Columbia. The border has been peaceful and largely demilitarized since the Rush-Bagot Treaty of 1817, which limited military presence on the Great Lakes after the War of 1812.

Famously straight: long stretches of the border follow the 49th parallel, agreed by the 1818 Anglo-American Convention and extended to the Pacific by the 1846 Oregon Treaty. The 49th-parallel border runs unobstructed from Lake of the Woods (Minnesota) to the Strait of Georgia (Washington) — about 1,260 miles of straight-line surveyed boundary, the longest such line in the world.

The border crosses 11 US states (Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine) and connects to 8 Canadian provinces/territories. Over 200 official border crossings handle ~400,000 daily crossings in normal times. The Detroit-Windsor border ranks among the busiest international land borders in the world.

Coastline reversal: Canada has the world's longest coast

Canada has 151,485 miles of coastline — the world's longest, by a factor of 2.5× over the #2 country (Indonesia at ~59,000 mi). The USA has 12,380 miles. Canada has 12.2× more coastline than the USA on slightly more land.

The reason is geometry: Canada's Arctic archipelago contains the largest set of coastal islands of any country. Baffin Island (the world's 5th-largest island, 195,928 sq mi) alone has more coastline than most countries. Add Ellesmere, Victoria, Devon, Banks, Axel Heiberg, and thousands of smaller islands, and Canada's Arctic coastline alone exceeds the entire coastline of any other top-10 country.

Notably, Canada has more coastline than the rest of the world's top 10 largest countries combined. The Arctic islands account for roughly 60% of that total. The Atlantic, Pacific, and Hudson Bay coasts account for the rest.

Drawn to scale: USA next to Canada

Both countries rendered at the same area-per-pixel scale, side by side. Canada's outline is visually dominated by its Arctic archipelago and Hudson Bay; the USA's by the contiguous lower 48 plus Alaska.

Canada next to USA at the same pixel scale.Canada is 1.02× the USA — virtually tiedCanada3,855,100 sq miUnited States3,796,742 sq mi
Canada and the USA at equal area scale — virtually identical pixel area. Canada with rotate 95°, parallels 49/77°N. USA with standard US Albers. Both equal-area-preserving.

12 surprising facts about USA vs Canada

  1. Canada is 1.015× the USA. 58,378 sq mi larger — the size of Iowa.
  2. By LAND area only, the USA is slightly larger. USA 3.53M vs Canada 3.51M sq mi. Canada's edge is all water.
  3. The USA has 8.21× Canada's population. 335M vs 41M.
  4. The USA economy is 13.1× Canada's. $28.8T vs $2.2T.
  5. The USA-Canada border is the world's longest. 5,525 miles between two countries.
  6. The 49th parallel border is 1,260 miles long and perfectly straight. Longest straight-line international border in the world.
  7. 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the US. Northern Canada is nearly empty.
  8. Canada has 12.2× more coastline. 151,485 mi vs 12,380 mi — Canada's coast is longer than any other country's by 2.5×.
  9. Newfoundland time is UTC-3:30. One of only a handful of half-hour offset zones in the world.
  10. Both have 6 time zones. Canada Atlantic to Pacific; USA Hawaii to Eastern.
  11. Toronto's metro is bigger than 7 of Canada's 13 sub-national units combined. 6.3M vs 6.0M total in the smallest provinces/territories.
  12. Mount Logan (Canada, 19,551 ft) is 96% the height of Denali (Alaska, 20,310 ft). Two highest peaks in North America, both in the northwest.

Methodology and sources

Area: CIA World Factbook 2024 + Statistics Canada 2024 + US Census Bureau 2020.

Population + GDP: IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2024), US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Statistics Canada.

Border information: International Boundary Commission (USA-Canada), the bilateral body that maintains border monuments and markers since 1908.

Projections: Canada with rotate 95°, parallels 49/77°N; USA with standard US Albers. Both equal-area-preserving. Last reviewed 16 May 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, marginally. Canada covers 3,855,100 sq mi (9.98 million km²); the USA covers 3,796,742 sq mi (9.83 million km²). Canada is 1.015× larger — about 58,378 sq mi more land (approximately the size of Iowa). Canada is the world's 2nd-largest country; the USA is #3 or #4 depending on source.
Canada is 1.015× the USA — about 58,378 sq mi (151,000 km²) larger. That difference is approximately the size of Iowa (56,272 sq mi). For practical purposes the two countries are tied; Canada wins on total area, the USA wins marginally on LAND area (3,531,905 vs Canada's 3,511,022 sq mi land — the USA has more land, Canada more water).
The USA has 8.21× more people. USA: 334.9 million. Canada: 40.77 million. Despite Canada being slightly larger in total area, the USA has dramatically more population. Canada has one of the lowest population densities of any major country (10.6 per sq mi) — only ~90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the US border, leaving the northern 90% of Canadian land essentially uninhabited.
Yes, by 13×. USA GDP (2024 nominal): $28.78 trillion. Canada GDP: $2.2 trillion. The USA economy is 13.1× Canada's despite slightly less land. Per capita: USA ~$86,000 vs Canada ~$54,000. Canada's economy ranks ~#9 globally; the USA is #1.
5,525 miles (8,891 km) — the world's longest international border between two countries. It comprises 3,987 miles of US-Canada mainland border plus 1,538 miles separating Alaska from Yukon and British Columbia. The border has been demilitarized since the Rush-Bagot Treaty of 1817 (after the War of 1812), and contains over 200 official border crossings.
Canada, by 12.2×. Canada: 151,485 miles — the world's longest coastline. USA: 12,380 miles. Canada's vast Arctic archipelago (Baffin, Ellesmere, Victoria, Devon, and thousands of smaller islands) accounts for most of its coast. Canada has more coastline than all other top-10 largest countries combined.
Canada has 10 provinces (Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island) plus 3 territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut) = 13 sub-national units. Average Canadian province ~270,000 sq mi (size of Texas + Florida combined). The USA has 50 states + DC + 5 inhabited territories.
Mostly inland and territorial waters. By land area only, the USA (3,531,905 sq mi) is slightly larger than Canada (3,511,022 sq mi). Canada's total-area edge comes from its enormous Arctic archipelago waters, Hudson Bay (where Canadian territorial waters extend far offshore), and its share of the Great Lakes. Different metrics give different ranking: the USA leads on land; Canada leads on total area.
Canada (3.86M sq mi) is approximately the size of: USA × 1.02, the geographic continent of Europe × 0.98, Russia × 0.58, China × 1.04, Australia × 1.30, or Greenland × 4.61. Canada is the world's 2nd-largest country by area after Russia.
Both have 6 time zones. Canada: Pacific (UTC-8), Mountain (UTC-7), Central (UTC-6), Eastern (UTC-5), Atlantic (UTC-4), and Newfoundland (UTC-3:30 — one of only a handful of half-hour offsets in the world). USA: Hawaii-Aleutian (UTC-10), Alaska (UTC-9), Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern.
Approximately 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles (160 km) of the US border. Toronto (6.3M metro) holds 15% of Canada's entire population. Montreal (4.3M), Vancouver (2.6M), Calgary (1.6M), Edmonton (1.5M), Ottawa (1.4M) are the other major metros — five of the six are within 200 miles of the US border. Northern Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, northern Quebec) holds less than 0.5% of the population on roughly 40% of the land.
Highly integrated. Canada and the USA are each other's biggest trading partners with ~$960B in annual bilateral trade. The USA-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, 2020 replacement for NAFTA) governs trade. Canada is the largest source of US energy imports (oil + natural gas). The two countries have a long history of mutual recognition: standardized aviation regulations, mutual driver's license recognition in many states, harmonized vehicle safety standards.
Russia is 1.71× Canada by area — 6.60M vs 3.86M sq mi. The two are the world's #1 and #2 largest countries. See our dedicated Russia vs Canada size comparison for the full breakdown.

Related size comparisons

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