Russia is the largest country in the world by far, with a total area of just over 17 million square kilometers. After Antarctica, the next three countries are Canada, the U.S., and China; all between 9.5 and 10 million square kilometers. The figures given include internal water surface area (such as lakes or rivers) - if the figures were for land surface only then China would be the second largest country in the world, the U.S. third, and Canada (the country with more lakes than the rest of the world combined) fourth. Russia Russia has a population of around 145 million people, putting it in the top ten most populous countries in the world, and making it the most populous in Europe. However, it's vast size gives it a very low population density, ranked among the bottom 20 countries. Most of Russia's population is concentrated in the west, with around 75 percent of the population living in the European part, while around 75 percent of Russia's territory is in Asia; the Ural Mountains are considered the continental border. Elsewhere in the world Beyond Russia, the world's largest countries all have distinctive topographies and climates setting them apart. The United States, for example, has climates ranging from tundra in Alaska to tropical forests in Florida, with various mountain ranges, deserts, plains, and forests in between. Populations in these countries are often concentrated in urban areas, and are not evenly distributed across the country. For example, around 85 percent of Canada's population lives within 100 miles of the U.S. border; around 95 percent of China lives east of the Heihe–Tengchong Line that splits the country; and the majority of populations in large countries such as Australia or Brazil live near the coast.

Land area (sq. km) in United States was reported at 9147420 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Land area (sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

United States US: Land Area data was reported at 9,147,420.000 sq km in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 9,147,420.000 sq km for 2016. United States US: Land Area data is updated yearly, averaging 9,158,960.000 sq km from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2017, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9,161,920.000 sq km in 2007 and a record low of 9,147,420.000 sq km in 2017. United States US: Land Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. 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.; ; Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.; Sum;

Surface area (sq. km) in United States was reported at 9831510 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Surface area (sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

United States US: Urban Land Area data was reported at 802,053.592 sq km in 2010. This stayed constant from the previous number of 802,053.592 sq km for 2000. United States US: Urban Land Area data is updated yearly, averaging 802,053.592 sq km from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2010, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 802,053.592 sq km in 2010 and a record low of 802,053.592 sq km in 2010. United States US: Urban Land Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Urban land area in square kilometers, based on a combination of population counts (persons), settlement points, and the presence of Nighttime Lights. Areas are defined as urban where contiguous lighted cells from the Nighttime Lights or approximated urban extents based on buffered settlement points for which the total population is greater than 5,000 persons.; ; Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)/Columbia University. 2013. Urban-Rural Population and Land Area Estimates Version 2. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/lecz-urban-rural-population-land-area-estimates-v2.; Sum;

The USA: Land area in sq. km: The latest value from 2022 is 9147420 sq. km, unchanged from 9147420 sq. km in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 673036 sq. km, based on data from 191 countries. Historically, the average for the USA from 1961 to 2022 is 9156550 sq. km. The minimum value, 9147420 sq. km, was reached in 2008 while the maximum of 9161920 sq. km was recorded in 2000.

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in United States was reported at 36.51 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Population density (people per sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

This statistic shows the total land and water area of the United States by state and territory. Alabama covers an area of 52,420 square miles.

Time series data for the statistic Urban land area (sq. km) and country United States. Indicator Definition:Urban land area in square kilometers, based on a combination of population counts (persons), settlement points, and the presence of Nighttime Lights. Areas are defined as urban where contiguous lighted cells from the Nighttime Lights or approximated urban extents based on buffered settlement points for which the total population is greater than 5,000 persons.

Land area (sq. km) in North America was reported at 17936174 sq. Km in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North America - Land area (sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

United States US: Rural Land Area data was reported at 8,549,545.510 sq km in 2010. This stayed constant from the previous number of 8,549,545.510 sq km for 2000. United States US: Rural Land Area data is updated yearly, averaging 8,549,545.510 sq km from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2010, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8,549,545.510 sq km in 2010 and a record low of 8,549,545.510 sq km in 2010. United States US: Rural Land Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Rural land area in square kilometers, derived from urban extent grids which distinguish urban and rural areas based on a combination of population counts (persons), settlement points, and the presence of Nighttime Lights. Areas are defined as urban where contiguous lighted cells from the Nighttime Lights or approximated urban extents based on buffered settlement points for which the total population is greater than 5,000 persons.; ; Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)/Columbia University. 2013. Urban-Rural Population and Land Area Estimates Version 2. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/lecz-urban-rural-population-land-area-estimates-v2.; Sum;

Agricultural land (sq. km) in United States was reported at 4058104 sq. Km in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Agricultural land (sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

United States US: Population Density: People per Square Km data was reported at 35.608 Person/sq km in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 35.355 Person/sq km for 2016. United States US: Population Density: People per Square Km data is updated yearly, averaging 26.948 Person/sq km from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2017, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 35.608 Person/sq km in 2017 and a record low of 20.056 Person/sq km in 1961. United States US: Population Density: People per Square Km data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. 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.; ; Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates.; Weighted average;

Time series data for the statistic Urban land area (sq. km) and country Virgin Islands (U.S.). Indicator Definition:Urban land area in square kilometers, based on a combination of population counts (persons), settlement points, and the presence of Nighttime Lights. Areas are defined as urban where contiguous lighted cells from the Nighttime Lights or approximated urban extents based on buffered settlement points for which the total population is greater than 5,000 persons.

U.S. Census Bureau, data file from Geography Division based on the TIGER/Geographic Identification Code Scheme (TIGER/GICS) computer file. Land area updated every 10 years. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/index.html or http://factfinder2.census.gov.

Land area is the size, in square units (metric and nonmetric) of all areas designated as land in the Census Bureau's national geographic (TIGER®) database.

The statistic shows the largest countries in South America, based on land area. Brazil is the largest country by far, with a total area of over 8.5 million square kilometers, followed by Argentina, with almost 2.8 million square kilometers.

In 2023, Washington, D.C. had the highest population density in the United States, with 11,130.69 people per square mile. As a whole, there were about 94.83 residents per square mile in the U.S., and Alaska was the state with the lowest population density, with 1.29 residents per square mile. The problem of population density Simply put, population density is the population of a country divided by the area of the country. While this can be an interesting measure of how many people live in a country and how large the country is, it does not account for the degree of urbanization, or the share of people who live in urban centers. For example, Russia is the largest country in the world and has a comparatively low population, so its population density is very low. However, much of the country is uninhabited, so cities in Russia are much more densely populated than the rest of the country. Urbanization in the United States While the United States is not very densely populated compared to other countries, its population density has increased significantly over the past few decades. The degree of urbanization has also increased, and well over half of the population lives in urban centers.

United States US: Surface Area data was reported at 9,831,510.000 sq km in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 9,831,510.000 sq km for 2016. United States US: Surface Area data is updated yearly, averaging 9,629,090.000 sq km from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2017, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9,831,510.000 sq km in 2017 and a record low of 9,629,090.000 sq km in 1999. United States US: Surface Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.; ; Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.; Sum;

Forest area (sq. km) in United States was reported at 3097950 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Forest area (sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Time series data for the statistic Rural land area (sq. km) and country American Samoa. Indicator Definition:Rural land area in square kilometers, derived from urban extent grids which distinguish urban and rural areas based on a combination of population counts (persons), settlement points, and the presence of Nighttime Lights. Areas are defined as urban where contiguous lighted cells from the Nighttime Lights or approximated urban extents based on buffered settlement points for which the total population is greater than 5,000 persons.