Russia vs United States: Land area in square kilometres
Russia
16.38 million sq. km
in 2023
United States
9.15 million sq. km
in 2023
Russia rank
1st
United States rank
3rd
Land area in square kilometres over time
- Russia
- United States
How they compare
Russia currently reports 16.38 million sq. km against 9.15 million sq. km in United States, a difference of 7.23 million sq. km.
That makes Russia's figure about 1.8 times United States's.
Across all 32 years both countries report, Russia has been ahead every year.
Russia ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 215 countries.
Russia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Russia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.38 million sq. km | 9.16 million sq. km | 7.22 million sq. km | Russia |
| 2000s | 16.38 million sq. km | 9.16 million sq. km | 7.22 million sq. km | Russia |
| 2010s | 16.38 million sq. km | 9.15 million sq. km | 7.23 million sq. km | Russia |
| 2020s | 16.38 million sq. km | 9.15 million sq. km | 7.23 million sq. km | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher land area in square kilometres, Russia or United States?
- Russia, at 16.38 million sq. km against 9.15 million sq. km in United States as of 2023.
- What is the difference in land area in square kilometres between Russia and United States?
- 7.23 million sq. km, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and United States?
- 32 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2023.
- How do Russia and United States rank globally for land area in square kilometres?
- Russia ranks 1st 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 kilometres. 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 kilometres (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.