Canada vs United States: Land area in square kilometers
Canada
8.79 million sq. km
in 2023
United States
9.15 million sq. km
in 2023
Canada rank
4th
United States rank
3rd
Land area in square kilometers over time
- Canada
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 9.15 million sq. km against 8.79 million sq. km in Canada, a difference of 358,720 sq. km.
Across all 63 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 4th and United States ranks 3rd of 215 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 | 8.97 million sq. km | 9.16 million sq. km | 193,370 sq. km | United States |
| 1970s | 8.97 million sq. km | 9.16 million sq. km | 193,370 sq. km | United States |
| 1980s | 8.97 million sq. km | 9.16 million sq. km | 193,370 sq. km | United States |
| 1990s | 8.97 million sq. km | 9.16 million sq. km | 193,370 sq. km | United States |
| 2000s | 8.97 million sq. km | 9.16 million sq. km | 193,430 sq. km | United States |
| 2010s | 8.97 million sq. km | 9.15 million sq. km | 181,830 sq. km | United States |
| 2020s | 8.83 million sq. km | 9.15 million sq. km | 314,498 sq. km | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher land area in square kilometers, Canada or United States?
- United States, at 9.15 million sq. km against 8.79 million sq. km in Canada as of 2023.
- What is the difference in land area in square kilometers between Canada and United States?
- 358,720 sq. km, 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 square kilometers?
- Canada ranks 4th and United States ranks 3rd of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Land area in square kilometers. 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 square kilometers (km²). 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.