Atlas Compare · source-led geography
Compare land area and population on an interactive globe or map. Sources and years appear beside each figure.
Interactive globe · Orthographic
Country borders stay visible as the globe turns. Hover an outline for its name and any available cited figures. Drag to rotate; use Tab and Enter or Space to select supported places.
Select a country to add it to the comparison.
Shared facts · units normalized for the bars
United States has 3.08× the land area of India.
India has 4.28× the listed population of United States.
India has 13.2× the calculated density of United States.
Insights are calculated from the cited values below. Population source years can differ by place; density is population divided by land area in km².
At a glance
Each bar starts at zero. The longest bar is the highest value shown for that measure, not a rating.
Select at least two places to draw the charts.
On narrow screens, focus this region and use the Left and Right Arrow keys to scroll the table.
| Measure | United States | India |
|---|---|---|
| Land areakm² | 9,147,420 sq kmWorld Bank — Land area · 2023 | 2,973,190 sq kmWorld Bank — Land area · 2023 |
| Populationpeople | 341,784,857World Bank — Population, total · 2025 | 1,463,865,525World Bank — Population, total · 2025 |
| Population densitypeople/km² · calculated | 37 people/km²Population ÷ land area in km² | 492 people/km²Population ÷ land area in km² |
A world of comparisons
Profiles include a true outline, sourced land area and population, and a density calculated from those values.
Browse countriesState maps use Census TIGER/Line geometry. Washington, DC is included and labeled as a district.
Browse statesEach future comparison must name its boundary type and meet the same source, date, and definition checks.
See city data standardsBeyond the U.S. state map
Browse 3,642 named Natural Earth map divisions across 145 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. Each country page has a boundary map, a names list, and approximate outline-size comparison; these are not official regional population or land-area statistics.
Selected comparisons
Each page shows a distinct geographic relationship and the cited figures behind it.
Any combination also works in the map tool. Arbitrary comparisons are shareable, but only carefully selected pages are indexable.
Free, no-account tools
Field notes · definitions before conclusions
Short, source-backed explainers connect the map to its definitions, dates, and limits.
A practical guide to the numbers
Area and population figures are easier to read when the geography, source, and reference year stay visible beside them.
A country, a U.S. state, an incorporated place, and a metropolitan area are different kinds of geographic units. Atlas Compare has 196 source-supported country profiles and 51 U.S. comparison places, including the District of Columbia. It also maps first-level divisions in 145 African, Asian and European countries. Those international maps use a beta reference boundary layer; they do not yet contain comparable regional population or official area statistics.
The land-area value comes from a statistical source, while the map outline comes from a geographic boundary file. Those datasets are related, but they may use different vintages or definitions. A drawn coastline is generalized, and its pixels are not used to calculate the published area. Check the linked source and its definition before treating two values as directly interchangeable. Read what land area includes.
Population is not a timeless count. Publishers release estimates for a stated period, revise past estimates, and publish new vintages on different schedules. That is why each profile links to the population source and shows the year used for that value. The area and population years on one page can differ. When comparing two places, read both source labels rather than assuming the figures describe the same day.
Population density here means population divided by land area converted to square kilometres. The site labels it as calculated because it is derived from the figures shown above it, not copied from a separate density table. If the input years differ, that mismatch remains part of the result's context. Density describes a ratio across the whole named geography; it does not show how people are distributed within it or say whether a place is suitable for anyone.
Curated pair maps draw both outlines to one area scale, so their relative size can be read visually. The same scale can make a smaller place difficult to inspect beside a very large one. The table and citations remain available for exact values, and the map is only a reference drawing. Country boundaries use Natural Earth geometry; U.S. state boundaries use Census TIGER/Line. Neither is a legal survey, a navigation map, or satellite imagery.
The workbench can create a shareable link for a custom selection. Search engines are offered a smaller set of curated pages with their own cited comparison and useful context, rather than a separate page for every possible combination. City data is currently a 30-place U.S. incorporated-place pilot across 23 states. It is not a complete city directory, and it does not compare counties or metro areas as though they were city boundaries. Review the city data limits.
Some profiles show a place's position within the supported country or U.S. state set for area, population, and calculated density. Each rank answers only one question: how the listed values sort against this set. A larger area or higher population is not a better result. Atlas Compare does not combine different measures into one score. When a comparison matters, use the source links and dates to check what the figures represent.
Country and U.S.-state comparisons use sourced land area and population, with density calculated from those inputs. The international region explorer adds only approximate outline-size estimates; comparable regional population, economic, education, health, and policy measures are not live. The methodology page lists the current sources and known gaps.
How the atlas works
Short answers about the comparison tool, its sources, and the limits of the current data.
The main comparison tool supports 196 source-supported country profiles and all 50 U.S. states plus Washington, DC, with cited land area, population, and calculated density. A separate region map explorer lists first-level divisions for 145 countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe and compares approximate outline areas. Its boundary shapes are reference geometry, not official regional statistics.
Place profiles and comparisons show land area and population from cited publishers. Population density is calculated from those two figures, not imported as a third independent measurement. Other social or economic measures are not currently part of the tool.
Publishers release different measures on different schedules and may use different reference periods. Atlas Compare labels each source and year beside its value so the dates remain visible; density uses the displayed inputs even when their years do not match.
Population is divided by land area in square kilometres. If an area source reports square miles, the tool converts that value before dividing. The result is labeled as calculated and rounded for display. Read the formula and its limits.
No. Country outlines use Natural Earth reference geography, U.S. state outlines use Census TIGER/Line, and international first-level maps use the Natural Earth Admin 1 beta layer. The drawings are generalized vector maps, not legal surveys, navigation maps, or satellite photographs. See the source and method notes.
Yes. Select places in the workbench and use its share control to copy a link. Custom selections are useful in the browser, while only a curated set of comparison pages is published for search; the site does not create a page for every possible pairing.
City coverage is limited to a small U.S. incorporated-place pilot and is not a complete or representative list. City proper, county, and metro boundaries are not treated as interchangeable. Review the city data standards before interpreting that pilot.
The app uses a shareable URL for selected place IDs and saves appearance preferences in your browser's local storage. This release has no account system, advertising tags, or analytics scripts. The privacy notice describes the current behavior.