Russia vs USA Size Comparison: Which Country Is Bigger?

When people compare countries by size, one of the most common questions is: Is Russia larger than the United States? The simple answer is yes. Russia is the largest country in the world and is significantly bigger than the United States in terms of total land area.

However, the comparison becomes more interesting when we look at land area, population density, geography, climate, and how much of each country is actually habitable.

In this article, we will compare Russia and the USA in detail and explain the real difference between these two giant nations.

Russia vs USA Size at a Glance

Feature	Russia	United States
Total Area	17.1 million km²	9.83 million km²
Land Area	16.38 million km²	9.15 million km²
World Ranking by Area	1st	3rd
Population	~146 million	~340 million
Number of Time Zones	11	6 Main Time Zones
Longest Distance East to West	~9,000 km	~4,500 km
Continents	Europe & Asia	North America

How Much Bigger Is Russia Than the USA?

Russia covers approximately 17.1 million square kilometers, while the United States covers around 9.83 million square kilometers.

Difference in Size

Formula

Russia Size − USA Size

Calculation

17.1 million km² − 9.83 million km²

= 7.27 million km²

Russia is approximately 7.27 million square kilometers larger than the United States.

Percentage Difference

Russia is about:

This means Russia is roughly 74% larger than the USA.

Visual Comparison

If the continental United States were placed inside Russia, there would still be a huge amount of Russian territory remaining.

Russia stretches from Eastern Europe all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The country spans nearly one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land surface.

Many U.S. states could fit within Russia multiple times over. See the compare Canada vs USA.

Examples

State	Area
Alaska	1.72 million km²
Texas	695,662 km²
California	423,967 km²

Russia is nearly:

• 10 times larger than Texas
• 40 times larger than California
• About 10 times the size of Alaska

Why Does Russia Look Even Bigger on Maps?

Many world maps use the Mercator Projection.

The Mercator projection enlarges areas closer to the poles. Since Russia is located far north, it appears even larger than it actually is.

Although Russia is truly the largest country in the world, some maps exaggerate its size visually.

Modern projections such as the Gall-Peters projection provide a more accurate representation of relative land areas.

Land Area Comparison

Water bodies affect total area measurements.

Russia

• Total Area: 17.1 million km²
• Land Area: 16.38 million km²

United States

• Total Area: 9.83 million km²
• Land Area: 9.15 million km²

Even when comparing only land area, Russia remains dramatically larger than the United States.

Population Comparison

Interestingly, the larger country has a much smaller population.

Country	Population
Russia	~146 Million
USA	~340 Million

The United States has more than twice the population of Russia despite being much smaller in area.

Population Density

Russia

USA

The USA is roughly four times more densely populated than Russia.

Climate and Geography

Russia

Russia experiences some of the harshest climates on Earth.

Major geographic features include:

• Siberian tundra
• Taiga forests
• Arctic coastline
• Ural Mountains
• Volga River Basin

Large portions of Russia are permanently frozen or experience extremely cold winters.

United States

The United States has a more diverse climate.

It includes:

• Deserts
• Tropical regions
• Temperate forests
• Mountain ranges
• Arctic areas in Alaska

This diversity makes much more of the U.S. suitable for agriculture and settlement.

Largest States and Regions

Largest U.S. State

Alaska

Area:

Largest Russian Federal Subject

Sakha Republic (Yakutia)

Area:

Yakutia alone is almost twice the size of Alaska.

Natural Resources

Both countries are rich in natural resources.

Russia

Major resources include:

• Natural gas
• Oil
• Coal
• Gold
• Diamonds
• Timber

Russia possesses some of the world’s largest energy reserves.

United States

Major resources include:

• Oil
• Natural gas
• Coal
• Copper
• Uranium
• Agricultural land

The USA is among the world’s leading producers of energy and food.

Economic Comparison

Despite being smaller in area, the United States has a much larger economy.

Metric	Russia	USA
GDP (Approx.)	$2 Trillion	$30 Trillion
Population	146 Million	340 Million
Area	17.1 Million km²	9.83 Million km²

Economic size does not necessarily correlate with land area.

Time Zones

Russia

Russia spans: 11 time zones

It is the country with the greatest number of time zones in the world.

United States

The U.S. spans: 6 primary time zones

Including Alaska and Hawaii.

Interesting Facts

Russia

• Largest country on Earth.
• Covers about 11% of the world’s land area.
• Borders 14 countries.
• Extends across Europe and Asia.

United States

• Third-largest country by area.
• Has the world’s largest economy.
• Contains 50 states.
• Alaska is larger than Texas, California, and Montana combined.

Russia vs USA: Key Differences

Category	Winner
Total Area	Russia
Land Area	Russia
Population	USA
Economy	USA
Number of Time Zones	Russia
Population Density	USA
Agricultural Productivity	USA
Natural Resources	Both Strong

Conclusion

Russia is substantially larger than the United States in terms of total area. With approximately 17.1 million square kilometers, Russia is about 74% larger than the USA and remains the largest country in the world.

However, size alone does not determine a country’s influence or development. The United States has a much larger population, a stronger economy, and more densely populated and productive land. Russia’s immense size is balanced by its harsh climate and vast sparsely populated regions.

In short:

• Russia is bigger geographically.
• The USA is larger economically and demographically.
• Both nations are among the most influential countries on Earth, but they achieve their global significance in very different ways.