Canada vs United States: Land area in hectares
Canada
878.87 million hectares
in 2023
United States
914.74 million hectares
in 2023
Canada rank
5th
United States rank
4th
Land area in hectares over time
- Canada
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 914.74 million hectares against 878.87 million hectares in Canada, a difference of 35.87 million hectares.
Across all 63 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 5th and United States ranks 4th of 238 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 896.56 million hectares | 915.90 million hectares | 19.34 million hectares | United States |
| 1970s | 896.56 million hectares | 915.90 million hectares | 19.34 million hectares | United States |
| 1980s | 896.56 million hectares | 915.90 million hectares | 19.34 million hectares | United States |
| 1990s | 896.56 million hectares | 915.90 million hectares | 19.34 million hectares | United States |
| 2000s | 896.56 million hectares | 915.90 million hectares | 19.34 million hectares | United States |
| 2010s | 896.56 million hectares | 914.74 million hectares | 18.18 million hectares | United States |
| 2020s | 883.29 million hectares | 914.74 million hectares | 31.45 million hectares | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher land area in hectares, Canada or United States?
- United States, at 914.74 million hectares against 878.87 million hectares in Canada as of 2023.
- What is the difference in land area in hectares between Canada and United States?
- 35.87 million hectares, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United States?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do Canada and United States rank globally for land area in hectares?
- Canada ranks 5th and United States ranks 4th of 238 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Land area in hectares. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total land area, measured in hectares. 100 hectares is one square kilometer. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.