USA vs Russia Size: How Much Bigger Is Russia?

Russia covers 6,601,668 sq mi — the world's largest country. The USA covers 3,796,742 sq mi — the 3rd-largest. Russia is 1.74× larger than the USA. But the USA has 2.32× the population, a 14× larger economy, and once bought the territory of Alaska from Russia (1867) — the deal that shrank Russia by 7% overnight.

At a glance: USA vs Russia by the numbers

How much bigger is Russia than the USA?

Russia is 1.74× the USA by total area — 2,805,000 more square miles. That extra Russia (the difference) alone is bigger than the entire country of Australia (2.97M sq mi). Russia is the only country on Earth that exceeds the USA's area by more than 70%. Russia is 2.24× the size of the USA's lower 48 alone.

Russia accounts for about 11% of Earth's total land surface — more than the entire continent of South America. The USA accounts for ~6.3%. Together, Russia + USA cover roughly 17% of all land on Earth.

The 1867 Alaska Purchase: Russia shrank 7% in a single transaction

On March 30, 1867, Secretary of State William H. Seward signed the Treaty of Cession with the Russian Empire. The deal: $7.2 million in gold for 586,412 sq mi of territory — Alaska. That works out to about $0.02 per acre in 1867 dollars (roughly $140 million in 2026 dollars).

The transaction had outsized consequences. Before the sale, the Russian Empire was approximately 8.6 million sq mi. After the sale, it shrank to ~8.0M — a 7% reduction overnight. The USA grew by 22%. The deal was mocked as “Seward's Folly” or “Seward's Icebox” in American newspapers until the 1896 Klondike Gold Rush vindicated it; the 1968 Prudhoe Bay oil discovery confirmed it as one of the best real-estate transactions in history.

Today, Alaska alone (570,641 sq mi) is bigger than 22 US states combined. Without the 1867 sale, Russia would still be the world's largest country and a significant North American power.

11 time zones vs 6: Russia's longitudinal span

Russia spans 11 time zones, from UTC+2 (Kaliningrad on the Baltic) to UTC+12 (Kamchatka in the Pacific). That's about 175° of longitude — almost half the world. When it's 8 AM Tuesday in Kaliningrad, it's 6 PM Tuesday in Vladivostok.

The USA spans 6 time zones: Hawaii (UTC-10), Aleutian (UTC-10), Alaska (UTC-9), Pacific (UTC-8), Mountain (UTC-7), Central (UTC-6), Eastern (UTC-5). The continental USA alone spans 4 hours from coast to coast.

Drawn to scale: Russia next to the USA

10 surprising facts about USA vs Russia

1. Russia is 1.74× the USA. 6.6M vs 3.8M sq mi.
2. The USA has 2.32× Russia's population. 335M vs 144M.
3. The USA's economy is roughly 14× Russia's by nominal GDP.
4. Russia sold Alaska to the USA in 1867. 586,412 sq mi for $7.2M. Russia shrank 7%; the USA grew 22%.
5. Russia has 11 time zones; the USA has 6. Russia covers more longitude than any other country (175°).
6. Russia and the USA share a maritime border. Big Diomede (RU) and Little Diomede (USA) are 2.4 miles apart in the Bering Strait.
7. Russia borders 14 countries; the USA borders 2. Russia's land borders total 12,500 mi — the most of any country.
8. Russia has the world's longest railroad. Trans-Siberian: 5,772 miles, Moscow to Vladivostok, 8 days non-stop.

Why this comparison matters

USA vs Russia is the comparison most often distorted by Cold War legacy and by the Mercator projection together. Russia at 70° latitude looks even larger than it is — the Soviet Union era image of a red mass devouring half the map persists even though the modern Russian Federation is smaller than the USSR was in 1989 (which covered 8.65M sq mi vs Russia's 6.6M today).

The comparison reframes contemporary geopolitics. Russia is genuinely huge by territory, yet its economy is smaller than Italy's and its population is shrinking faster than any G20 country. Understanding the asymmetry between geographic and economic weight is essential context for sanctions, energy markets, and the war in Ukraine.

Geography and climate

Russia spans 41°N (Caucasus, Sochi) to 81°N (Franz Josef Land, Arctic) and 175° of longitude — half the planet. Climate runs from humid continental in the Moscow region to subarctic across most of Siberia to polar in the High Arctic. Mean elevation is approximately 1,970 ft. About 60% of Russia is underlain by permafrost — a layer of permanently frozen ground that constrains all construction. Highest point: Mount Elbrus at 18,510 ft (Caucasus). Lake Baikal holds 5,500 cubic miles of water — about 20% of the world's unfrozen freshwater.

The USA spans 25°N to 71°N, includes Mediterranean, continental, subarctic, and arid zones, with a mean elevation of about 2,500 ft. Coastline: Russia 23,396 mi (Arctic + Pacific + Baltic + Black Sea); USA 12,380 mi. Russia's Arctic shoreline is the world's longest. The Volga (2,194 mi) is Europe's longest river; the Lena, Yenisei, and Ob all exceed 2,500 mi. The Trans-Siberian Railway covers 5,772 mi from Moscow to Vladivostok — the longest continuous rail line on Earth.

Population and density

Russia held 144.4 million people in 2024 per Rosstat, declining at roughly -0.4% per year — among the steepest demographic contractions in any G20 economy. The USA held 334.9 million per the US Census Bureau, growing at +0.5%. The USA has 2.32× Russia's population on 57% of the land area.

Russian density is 22/sq mi — the lowest of any major country except Canada and Australia — but distribution is extremely skewed. About 77% of Russians live in European Russia (west of the Urals), on roughly 23% of the land. Moscow metro: 21.5M. St. Petersburg: 5.6M. Beyond the Volga, the population thins quickly: Novosibirsk (1.6M) is the largest city in Asian Russia, holding more people than the next 7 Siberian cities combined. The USA has 9 metros above 4M and 56 above 1M, spread coast to coast.

The economy and what people do

Russia's GDP was approximately $2.0 trillion (nominal, 2024) per IMF — among the world's twenty largest economies by nominal GDP and among the top five by PPP. The USA's $28.78T is 14.4× larger. Russia's economy is dominated by hydrocarbons: oil and natural gas account for roughly 60% of exports and 30% of government revenue (CBR 2024). Production concentrates in the West Siberian Basin, an area of about 1.1M sq mi — equivalent to about 4 Texases. Other key sectors: metals (Norilsk Nickel, Rusal aluminum), grain export (world's largest wheat exporter), and arms. The ruble (RUB) trades at roughly 95 per US dollar.

10 surprising facts

• Russia's GDP ($2.0T) is smaller than Italy's ($2.4T) despite Russia being 22× Italy's area.
• Lake Baikal is the deepest lake on Earth at 5,387 ft and holds more water than all five US Great Lakes combined.
• The Trans-Siberian Railway crosses 8 time zones and takes 7 days to traverse end-to-end.
• Russia's population is shrinking at -0.4% per year — among the fastest declines in any major economy.
• About 60% of Russian territory is permafrost (Roshydromet); large parts thaw seasonally above the surface.
• Yakutsk (Russia) is the world's coldest major city, with January means of -41°F.
• Russia has the world's largest natural-gas reserves (1,688 trillion cubic feet, CIA World Factbook).
• The Russian Far East (Kamchatka, Magadan, Chukotka, Sakhalin) holds 6.2M people on 2.4M sq mi — denser than Mongolia by little.
• Without Alaska (sold 1867 for $7.2M), Russia would still be the world's largest country by 670,000 sq mi.
• Russia and the USA were once connected by land via the Bering land bridge (Beringia) until ~11,000 years ago.

Frequently asked questions

Related size comparisons

• Open USA + Russia in the interactive Country Size Comparison tool
• Russia vs Canada — Russia 1.71× Canada; world's two largest countries.
• Alaska vs Lower 48 — the territory Russia sold in 1867.
• USA vs China — essentially tied.
• USA vs Europe — almost the same size.
• USA vs Canada — virtually tied; Canada was the part of British North America that didn't become the USA.
• Greenland vs USA — USA is 4.54× Greenland; Russia neighbors Greenland across the Arctic.
• All size comparisons

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