7 Shocking Facts That Prove The Australia Vs. USA Size Comparison Isn't What You Think

The question of whether Australia or the United States is bigger is a classic geographical brain-teaser, and the answer is far more nuanced than a simple glance at a world map suggests. As of December 2025, the latest data confirms that the United States is indeed larger in total land area, but this simple fact hides a crucial geographical detail that completely changes the perspective for anyone studying global geography or planning a trip to either nation. Understanding this comparison reveals a profound difference in population density, climate, and the sheer scale of their respective states and territories.

This deep dive into the 'Australia vs. USA size' debate will move beyond raw numbers to explore the true geographical and human scale of these two massive, continent-spanning nations. We will break down the comparison using the most current figures for total area, population, and state sizes, providing a fresh and unique perspective on why the US is about 1.3 times bigger than the Land Down Under, and why Australia still feels just as vast.

The Raw Numbers: Total Area and the Contiguous USA

To settle the primary question, the United States is definitively larger than Australia when considering total area, including all states and territories. However, the difference is not as vast as some might assume, especially when focusing only on the mainland of the US.

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The total area of a country includes land and water bodies within its international borders. The most current figures show a clear hierarchy:

• United States Total Area: Approximately 9.83 million square kilometers (sq km) or 3.79 million square miles.
• Australia Total Area: Approximately 7.74 million square kilometers (sq km) or 2.98 million square miles.

This makes the United States approximately 27% larger than Australia, placing the US as the third or fourth largest country in the world, while Australia is the sixth largest.

Fact 1: The Alaska and Hawaii Effect

The 27% size difference is entirely due to the inclusion of the non-contiguous states of Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska, in particular, is an enormous landmass that dramatically inflates the US total. Without Alaska, the comparison becomes a near-perfect tie, which is the "shocking fact" most people miss.

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Fact 2: Australia is Larger Than the Contiguous USA

The term "Contiguous United States" refers to the lower 48 states, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. When comparing Australia to just the contiguous USA, Australia actually comes out slightly ahead.

• Australia's Area: $\sim$7.74 million sq km.
• Contiguous USA Area: $\sim$7.66 million sq km.

Some sources even state that Australia is about 1.2% larger than the contiguous 48 states, cementing the idea that the Australian mainland is a truly continental-scale landmass.

The Human Scale: Population and Density Comparison

While the land area comparison is close, the difference in population and population density is staggering. This is where the two nations' scales diverge most dramatically, profoundly affecting infrastructure, politics, and daily life.

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Fact 3: The US Has 11 Times Australia's Population

The sheer number of people living in the US dwarfs Australia's population. This difference is the primary factor in the vastly different feel of the two countries.

• United States Population: Approximately 342 million (2025 estimate).
• Australia Population: Approximately 27 million (2025 estimate).

The US is home to about 11 times the number of people as Australia.

Fact 4: A Population Density Chasm

The population difference, when paired with the similar land area, creates a massive disparity in population density (people per square kilometer).

• USA Population Density: $\sim$35 people per sq km.
• Australia Population Density: $\sim$3.5 people per sq km.

Australia is one of the least densely populated countries on Earth. This low density explains the vast, uninhabited regions of the Australian Outback, which contrast sharply with the more evenly spread population centers and infrastructure of the US. Australia's population is heavily concentrated along the eastern and southern coastlines (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane), leaving the interior largely empty.

Geographical and State-Level Differences

The comparison of size is not just about the national total; it also involves the scale of the internal political divisions—the states.

Fact 5: Australian States Are Gigantic

Because Australia has only six states and two major mainland territories to manage a landmass similar to the contiguous US (which has 48 states), the average size of an Australian state is enormous. Australian states are, on average, approximately seven times larger in area than US states.

• Western Australia (WA): At $2.64$ million sq km, WA is larger than the entire contiguous US state of Texas (0.69 million sq km) and could comfortably swallow the entire US state of Alaska (1.72 million sq km) if it were a single state.
• Queensland: At $1.85$ million sq km, Queensland is larger than the combined area of California, Texas, and New York.

This difference in state size profoundly impacts governance, logistics, and regional identity in both countries.

Fact 6: Climate and Landscape Diversity

The size and location of the US, stretching across varying latitudes from the tropical south to the arctic north (Alaska), gives it a far greater range of climate zones—from desert and temperate to tropical and arctic.

Australia, on the other hand, is dominated by its unique geography. While it has tropical regions in the north and temperate zones in the south and east, a significant portion of its landmass is arid or semi-arid desert, making it largely uninhabitable. This vast, dry interior—the Outback—is a key entity in understanding the Australian scale.

Fact 7: The Mercator Projection Misconception

Finally, the common visual misconception of size is often due to the Mercator map projection, which is the standard map seen in most classrooms and online tools. The Mercator projection distorts the size of landmasses the further they are from the equator. Since the US is further north than Australia (which is closer to the equator), the Mercator map makes the US appear disproportionately larger than it is in reality, contributing to the initial confusion about the size comparison.

Conclusion: The True Scale of Size

The debate over "Australia vs. USA size" is a perfect example of how raw statistics can be misleading. While the United States is technically bigger (9.83 million sq km vs. 7.74 million sq km), the difference is entirely accounted for by Alaska and Hawaii. The sheer size of the Australian mainland is comparable to the contiguous United States, making it a continent-sized nation in its own right.

Ultimately, the key takeaway is not the land area, but the population density. The US is a vast, populated landmass, whereas Australia is a vast, empty landmass. This difference in human scale—342 million people versus 27 million—is the most defining geographical characteristic that separates these two powerful nations.