Brazil vs United States: Urban area over the long-term
Brazil
36,495 km² per grid cell
in 2025
United States
230,837 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Brazil rank
4th
United States rank
1st
Urban area over the long-term over time
- Brazil
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 230,837 km² per grid cell against 36,495 km² per grid cell in Brazil, a difference of 194,342 km² per grid cell.
That makes United States's figure about 6.3 times Brazil's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Brazil ahead.
Brazil ranks 4th and United States ranks 1st of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Brazil averaged higher in 6 and United States in 34.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Brazil | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0907 km² per grid cell | 0.0222 km² per grid cell | 0.0685 km² per grid cell | Brazil |
| 1100s | 0.3016 km² per grid cell | 0.0718 km² per grid cell | 0.2298 km² per grid cell | Brazil |
| 1200s | 0.9935 km² per grid cell | 0.2387 km² per grid cell | 0.7548 km² per grid cell | Brazil |
| 1300s | 3.25 km² per grid cell | 0.7747 km² per grid cell | 2.47 km² per grid cell | Brazil |
| 1400s | 10.54 km² per grid cell | 2.57 km² per grid cell | 7.96 km² per grid cell | Brazil |
| 1500s | 36.43 km² per grid cell | 8.37 km² per grid cell | 28.06 km² per grid cell | Brazil |
| 1600s | 5.18 km² per grid cell | 10.36 km² per grid cell | 5.18 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1700s | 9.65 km² per grid cell | 37.01 km² per grid cell | 27.37 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1710s | 12.5 km² per grid cell | 54.47 km² per grid cell | 41.97 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1720s | 15.83 km² per grid cell | 81.18 km² per grid cell | 65.35 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1730s | 20.16 km² per grid cell | 113.71 km² per grid cell | 93.55 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1740s | 25.8 km² per grid cell | 153.1 km² per grid cell | 127.3 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1750s | 33.2 km² per grid cell | 200.57 km² per grid cell | 167.37 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1760s | 42.95 km² per grid cell | 257.52 km² per grid cell | 214.56 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1770s | 55.86 km² per grid cell | 325.56 km² per grid cell | 269.7 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1780s | 73 km² per grid cell | 406.59 km² per grid cell | 333.59 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1790s | 95.89 km² per grid cell | 502.79 km² per grid cell | 406.91 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1800s | 126.54 km² per grid cell | 768.82 km² per grid cell | 642.28 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1810s | 177.46 km² per grid cell | 1,191 km² per grid cell | 1,014 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1820s | 238.69 km² per grid cell | 1,523 km² per grid cell | 1,285 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1830s | 331.98 km² per grid cell | 2,431 km² per grid cell | 2,099 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1840s | 441.38 km² per grid cell | 3,884 km² per grid cell | 3,443 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1850s | 569.25 km² per grid cell | 7,265 km² per grid cell | 6,696 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1860s | 718.31 km² per grid cell | 12,597 km² per grid cell | 11,879 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1870s | 891.83 km² per grid cell | 19,930 km² per grid cell | 19,039 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1880s | 1,087 km² per grid cell | 28,112 km² per grid cell | 27,026 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1890s | 1,478 km² per grid cell | 42,401 km² per grid cell | 40,923 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1900s | 1,962 km² per grid cell | 53,032 km² per grid cell | 51,070 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1910s | 2,706 km² per grid cell | 62,886 km² per grid cell | 60,180 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1920s | 4,087 km² per grid cell | 65,617 km² per grid cell | 61,530 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1930s | 5,752 km² per grid cell | 65,879 km² per grid cell | 60,127 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1940s | 5,752 km² per grid cell | 65,806 km² per grid cell | 60,054 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1950s | 6,550 km² per grid cell | 66,872 km² per grid cell | 60,321 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1960s | 7,749 km² per grid cell | 81,736 km² per grid cell | 73,988 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1970s | 9,862 km² per grid cell | 96,629 km² per grid cell | 86,767 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1980s | 13,904 km² per grid cell | 112,780 km² per grid cell | 98,876 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1990s | 18,966 km² per grid cell | 139,296 km² per grid cell | 120,330 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 2000s | 25,166 km² per grid cell | 169,621 km² per grid cell | 144,455 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 2010s | 31,133 km² per grid cell | 197,048 km² per grid cell | 165,916 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 2020s | 35,284 km² per grid cell | 222,878 km² per grid cell | 187,594 km² per grid cell | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Brazil or United States?
- United States, at 230,837 km² per grid cell against 36,495 km² per grid cell in Brazil as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Brazil and United States?
- 194,342 km² per grid cell, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and United States?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Brazil and United States rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- Brazil ranks 4th and United States ranks 1st of 202 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total built-up area of a country over time.