Which Is Bigger: Canada Or America?

When it comes to countries that can relate, Canada and the United States are two peas in a North American pod. From matching time zones to similar geography, the two states have more in common than they have differences. That doesn’t mean they’re identical, though.

For one thing, their sizes aren’t exactly the same, nor are their populations. Here’s what to know about the match-up of Canada versus the United States — and which one is actually bigger.

US Versus Canada: What They Have In Common

Canada and the US are very similar, but they aren’t the exact same size

Road trip manual displaying US and Canada

When it comes down to comparing the United States against Canada, the two countries have a lot in common. Both the US and Canada have varied geography, with everything from forests to mountains. The countries also share a border — the longest undefended border on the planet — with ten US states bordering Canada and offering crossing points.

The United States and Canada also share the Great Lakes and, of course, Niagara Falls. The similarities don’t stop with geography, though.

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Both Canada and the US primarily speak English, though the former also counts French as a national language and the latter has no national language. Both countries use a type of government that involves elected officials, and both have European history.

Image of Canada map from ‘History of England and the British Empire’

Each country receives an influx of immigrants, has a developed economy, and has made commitments to the environment through the preservation of national parks.

The United States’ most iconic tourist destination is the Grand Canyon, while Canada’s claim to fame is Banff National Park (with nearby small towns making it the perfect jumping off point for exploration).

Which Is Bigger: Canada Or The United States?

Canada is slightly larger, but the US has more people

It turns out that the United States and Canada have something else in common: their geographical size. Canada and the United States of America are nearly the same size, both at around 3.8 million square miles. Which one is actually bigger, though?

Western Coast of US on a globe

That would be Canada, which is slightly larger than the United States.

Canada is larger than the United States of America, but not by much. The size difference is just under 46,000 square miles — about the size of one US state. Thus, Canada is the same size as the US plus a second state of Pennsylvania.

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Despite Canada being slightly larger than the United States, the US has a significantly larger population than its northern neighbor. In fact, the United States has a population that is more than eight times that of Canada. For reference, Canada’s population of 40.1 million residents is more comparable to that of a single US state rather than the country as a whole!

• California has a population of 39.128 million people, slightly less than Canada’s entire population of 40.1 million.

If you added California and Delaware’s populations together, they would easily exceed Canada’s entire population.

Another interesting factoid about Canada’s relatively minuscule population? The fact that most of the people who live in Canada only live in specific areas. Unlike the United States, which has people spread across every region, Canada has some regions that are largely uninhabited due to unfavorable living conditions.

Who Is richer: Canada Or The USA?

The United States has a significantly larger economy than Canada

American Flags Hanging at Union Station in Washington DC, USA

As common as it is to compare Canada and the United States, they are very different population- and economy-wise. Like the states’ population, its GDP is also many times larger than Canada’s.

Canada’s biggest industries are said to be real estate, manufacturing, and mining (including oil and gas extraction). The biggest industries in the United States include business services, real estate, manufacturing, healthcare, and finance. Despite a rise in inflation, the United States has many states that are still thriving with residents earning higher salaries than the rest.

While there’s a lot that visitors may find strange about the United States, the fact that the country is nearly the same size as Canada but has a far larger population and higher GDP might not be that surprising.

References: Census Data, Destination Canada, Governor of California, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Visual Capitalist