Which Is Larger: USA or Canada?

Canada is larger than the United States in total area.

• Canada: 9,984,670 km² (3,855,100 sq mi)
• United States: 9,833,517 km² (3,796,742 sq mi)

Canada exceeds the US by about 151,000 km² (58,000 sq mi)—roughly the size of Nepal or Illinois.

Key Nuances

• Land area only: USA (~9.1M km²) > Canada (~9.0M km²) — Canada has more freshwater (lakes/rivers)
• Contiguous US: ~8.1M km² — smaller than Canada
• Population: USA (~335M) >> Canada (~39M)
• Arable land: USA has significantly more

The misconception that the US is larger often stems from map projections (Mercator exaggerates high-latitude Canada) and the US's greater global prominence. But by the standard metric—total area including inland waters—Canada is the world's second-largest country; the US is third or fourth (depending on China's disputed claims).