Mexico vs United States
United States is 4.98 times larger than Mexico. Mexico would fit into United States about 5.0 times.
MexicoUnited StatesMexico moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.2×
Mexico is 0.2× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 4.98× the size of Mexico.
 Mexico |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 4.98× the area | 1,972,550 km²#13 of 194 | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 2.59× the population | 131,946,900#11 of 194 · 2025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMexico: 1.92× the density | 67 / km²#120 of 194 | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 80%#42 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMexico: 1.16× the births per woman | 1.89 per woman#101 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMexico: 0.31 points higher | +0.83%#107 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMexico: 1.46× the birth rate | 15.5 per 1,000#99 of 192 · 2024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUnited States: 1.45× the death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Mexico: 7.0 points higher | 24.1%#98 of 192 · 2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United States: 9.9 points higher | 8.5%#90 of 192 · 2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited States: 4.4 per 1,000 higher | −0.8 per 1,000#113 of 192 · 2025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMexico: 31× the refugees for its size | 0.31 per 1,000#86 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUnited States: 3.6 years longer | 75.3 years#84 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMexico: 2.2× the infant mortality | 12.1 per 1,000 births#99 of 191 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUnited States: 1.42× the doctors per person | 2.59 per 1,000#72 of 178 · 2022 | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentUnited States: 1.65× the university enrolment | 48.2%#78 of 145 · 2024 | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexUnited States: 0.149 higher | 0.789#80 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited States: 6.47× the income per person | $13,730#69 of 185 · 2025 | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited States: 16.8× the economy | $1.83T2025 | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United States: 3.48× the output per person | $25,868#78 of 184 · 2025 | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthUnited States: 1.6 points higher | +0.6%#164 of 187 · 2025 | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMexico: 0.9 points higher | +3.8%#65 of 176 · 2025 | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentUnited States: 1.56× the unemployment | 2.7%#149 of 178 · 2025 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMexico: 1.45× the share in extreme poverty | 1.6%#77 of 149 · 2024 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Mexico: 0.8 higher | 42.6#26 of 149 · 2024 | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureMexico: 9.9 points higher | 11.4% of jobs#104 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryMexico: 5.6 points higher | 24.5% of jobs#48 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited States: 15.5 points higher | 64.1% of jobs#75 of 178 · 2025 | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMexico: 1.4 points higher | 2.4% of GDP#78 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMexico: 28.6 points higher | 39.6% of GDP#75 of 168 · 2025 | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingUnited States: 4.22× the military spending | 0.7% of GDP#132 of 155 · 2025 | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersUnited States: 1.14× the share online | 83%#85 of 184 · 2024 | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAbout as many mobile subscriptions | 116 per 100#93 of 191 · 2024 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaAbout the same forest share | 34% of land#89 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited States: 3.74× the CO₂ per person | 3.64 t a year#71 of 185 · 2024 | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMexico: 2.1 points higher | 13.0%#126 of 190 · 2021 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUnited States: 0.2 points higher | 99.8%#103 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Mexico: 2.37× the air pollution | 16.6 µg/m³#104 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMexico: 2.4 points higher | 15.3% of land#115 of 191 · 2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landUnited States: 6.3 points higher | 10.3% of land#99 of 190 · 2024 | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMexico: 1.59× the water stress | 44.9%#41 of 176 · 2022 | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMexico: 1.06× the rain and snow | 758 mm#109 of 180 · 2022 | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityUnited States: 0.31 higher | −0.61#149 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited States: 1.81 higher | −0.94#149 of 193 · 2025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateMexico: 4.29× the homicide rate | 24.9 per 100,000#13 of 146 · 2023 | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republicfederal presidential republic | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | OECD, G20 | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Mexico City | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | Mexican peso (MXN) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | Spanish, Nahuatl, Yucatec Maya | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−6 · UTC−8 to UTC−5, 4 time zones | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +52 | +1 |
| Region | Central America, North America | Northern America, North America |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Mexico sits at about 24° N and is stretched to 1.2× its true area; United States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why United States looks so much bigger than it is next to Mexico. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Mexico bigger than United States?
- No. Mexico is 4.98 times smaller than United States. Mexico covers 1,972,550 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does Mexico fit into United States?
- About 5.0 times: United States has 4.98× the area of Mexico.
- Why do Mexico and United States look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Mexico is drawn about 1.2× its true area there and United States about 1.98×. That is why United States looks so much bigger than it really is next to Mexico. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Mexico or United States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 131,946,900. Density: Mexico 67 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Which is richer, Mexico or United States?
- By gross national income per person, United States: $88,810 against $13,730 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 6.47× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Mexico or United States?
- In United States: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 75.3 — 3.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Mexico and United States have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).