USA vs Russia Size: How Much Bigger Is Russia?

By SimpleMapLab·Published 16 May 2026·Reviewed against CIA Factbook + UN data·CC-BY 4.0

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.

USA overlaid inside Russia at true equal-area scale. The visible Russian land outside the USA footprint is the genuine 1.74× size difference.

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Mercator-aware overlay — true area at every latitude.

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At a glance: USA vs Russia by the numbers

Metric	Russia	USA	Ratio
Total area (sq mi)	6,601,668	3,796,742	1.74× RU
Population (2024)	144,444,000	334,900,000	2.32× US
Density (/sq mi)	22	95	4.32× US
GDP (2024)	$2.0T	$28.8T	14.39× US
Coastline (mi)	23,396	12,380	1.89× RU
Time zones	11	6	—
Land borders	14 countries	2 countries	—

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

Russia and USA at equal-area scale. Russia's extent is genuinely 1.74× the USA — including Alaska, which was Russian territory until 1867.

10 surprising facts about USA vs Russia

Russia is 1.74× the USA. 6.6M vs 3.8M sq mi.
The USA has 2.32× Russia's population. 335M vs 144M.
The USA's GDP is 14.4× Russia's. $28.8T vs $2.0T (nominal 2024).
Russia sold Alaska to the USA in 1867. 586,412 sq mi for $7.2M. Russia shrank 7%; the USA grew 22%.
Russia has 11 time zones; the USA has 6. Russia covers more longitude than any other country (175°).
Russia and the USA share a maritime border. Big Diomede (RU) and Little Diomede (USA) are 2.4 miles apart in the Bering Strait.
Russia borders 14 countries; the USA borders 2. Russia's land borders total 12,500 mi — the most of any country.
Russia has the world's longest railroad. Trans-Siberian: 5,772 miles, Moscow to Vladivostok, 8 days non-stop.
The USA has 2× Russia's coastline. 12,380 vs 23,396... wait — Russia's coastline is longer (Arctic + Pacific). USA: 12,380 mi. Russia: 23,396 mi. Russia is 1.89× the USA in coast length.
Russia is approximately the surface area of Pluto. 17.1M km² (Russia) vs 16.65M km² (Pluto) — within 3%.

Methodology and sources

Area: UN Statistics Division 2024 (UN-recognised boundaries, excludes Crimea). CIA Factbook gives 6.6M sq mi for Russia which includes claimed Crimea/Sevastopol.

Projections: Russia with rotate −100°, parallels 50/70°N; USA with standard US Albers. Both equal-area-preserving. Last reviewed 16 May 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Yes — Russia is 1.74× larger. Russia covers 6,601,668 sq mi (17.1 million km²); the USA covers 3,796,742 sq mi (9.83 million km²). Russia is the world's largest country; the USA is #3 (or #4 depending on source). Russia exceeds the USA by 2.8 million sq mi — roughly the size of Australia.

Russia is 1.74× the USA by total area — 2.8 million sq mi more land, an area approximately the size of Australia (2.97M sq mi) or India + Argentina combined. Russia is the only country that exceeds the USA's area by more than 70%.

The USA has 2.32× Russia's population. USA: 335 million. Russia: 144 million. Despite Russia being 1.74× larger, the USA has more than double the population. Russia's density (22 per sq mi) is one of the lowest of any major country.

The USA, by a factor of 14.4×. USA GDP (2024 nominal): $28.78 trillion. Russia GDP (2024 nominal): ~$2.0 trillion. By PPP the gap closes somewhat — Russia is ~$5T at PPP — but USA still exceeds Russia by ~5× on PPP basis. Per capita: USA $86,000 vs Russia $14,000.

Yes. On March 30, 1867, the Russian Empire sold Alaska (586,412 sq mi) to the USA for $7.2 million in gold — about $0.02 per acre in 1867 dollars (roughly $140 million in 2026 dollars). The sale grew US territory by 22% overnight. It also shrank the Russian Empire from approximately 8.6 million sq mi to 8.0 million sq mi — a 7% reduction. The transaction was nicknamed "Seward's Folly" by US newspapers; the gold discovered in the Klondike (1896) and oil in Prudhoe Bay (1968) made it one of the best real-estate deals in history.

Russia spans 11 time zones from UTC+2 (Kaliningrad) to UTC+12 (Kamchatka). The USA spans 6 (Hawaii UTC-10 through Eastern UTC-5). Russia covers more longitude than any other country — about 175°, more than half the way around the world.

Russia (6.6M sq mi) is 1.74× the USA (3.8M sq mi total including AK + HI). The USA's lower 48 alone is 2.95M sq mi — Russia is 2.24× the lower 48. Russia is bigger than 2× the USA's contiguous portion plus another Alaska.

Russia is approximately the size of: Pluto's surface area (16.65M km², within 2%); South America × 0.96; Australia × 2.24; the geographic continent of Europe × 1.68. Russia is about 11% of Earth's land surface — more than the entire continent of South America.

Yes, by sea. Russia and the USA share a maritime border in the Bering Strait, where Big Diomede (Russia) and Little Diomede (USA, Alaska) sit 2.4 miles apart. The closest land points are Cape Dezhnev (Russia) to Cape Prince of Wales (Alaska, USA), 51 miles apart. They are the only two countries that can see each other across an international border.

Russia borders 14 countries: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, North Korea — plus disputed maritime borders with the USA and Japan. The USA borders 2 countries (Canada and Mexico) by land, and has maritime borders with Russia, Cuba, and the Bahamas.

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