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Colombia vs United States: size comparison

Colombia fits into the United States 8.62 times: 440,395 sq mi (1,140,619 km²) versus 3,795,967 sq mi (9,831,510 km²). Here you can see both overlaid at their true size, with their population, density and end-to-end distance.

By the Mapsfera Team

Map of Colombia on top of United States at true size

8.62× Colombia fits into the United States 8.62 times

  • United States 3,795,967 sq mi below, in its real place
  • Colombia 440,395 sq mi on top, centered on the United States
Move them in “True size map”

Drag both across a Mercator map and watch how they change with latitude.

Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection centered on the United States: it preserves areas, so both appear in their true proportion. Colombia has been rotated across the globe, without changing its shape or size, until its center sits on the center of the United States.

Alaska and Hawaii are not shown on the map (16% of the area of the United States), but they are included in the figures.

The figures

Figure Colombia United States
Area 440,395 sq mi 1,140,619 km² · World Bank 3,795,967 sq mi 9,831,510 km² · World Bank
Population 53.4 million World Bank, 2025 342 million World Bank, 2025
Density 121 per sq mi 47 per km² 90 per sq mi 35 per km²
End to end about 1,160 mi (1,870 km) about 2,890 mi (4,650 km)
Size rank 25th of 193 countries 3rd of 193 countries
Mercator enlarges it ×1.0 centered at 4° N ×2.3 centered at 40° N

Which is bigger, Colombia or the United States?

Colombia is the only South American country with coastlines on both the Pacific and the Caribbean. It sits on the equator, where Mercator barely enlarges anything, so on regular maps it looks smaller next to the US than it really is.

The difference is 3,355,572 sq mi (8,690,891 km²), roughly the size of Brazil (3,285,892 sq mi).

Colombia is the 25th-largest country in the world, and the United States is the 3rd-largest.

Without Alaska and Hawaii, the United States covers about 3,060,000 sq mi (7,930,000 km²), measured on its outline.

Population and density

Colombia has a population of 53.4 million and the United States 342 million (World Bank, 2025).

That’s 121 per sq mi (47 per km²) in Colombia and 90 per sq mi (35 per km²) in the United States: Colombia has 35% more people per square mile than the United States.

The United States has more land and more people too: 6.40 times as many as Colombia.

Why they look different on a regular world map

On the Mercator projection, used by Google Maps and many world maps, everything gets bigger the farther it is from the equator. Colombia, centered at 4° N, comes out 1.0 times bigger than it really is overall; the United States, at 40° N, 2.3 times.

That’s why on those maps the gap looks bigger than it is: on paper the United States takes up 19.6 times the space of Colombia, but in reality it’s 8.62 times.

That doesn’t happen on the map on this page: it uses an equal-area projection centered on the United States. To move them across a Mercator map yourself, open them in the True size map.

From end to end

The longest straight line between two points of Colombia is about 1,160 mi (1,870 km), running north to south; for the United States (without Alaska and Hawaii) it’s about 2,890 mi (4,650 km), southwest to northeast.

End to end, the United States is 2.49 times as long as Colombia.

Frequently asked questions

Is Colombia bigger than the United States?

No. Colombia covers 440,395 sq mi (1,140,619 km²) and the United States 3,795,967 sq mi (9,831,510 km²): the United States is 8.62 times as big.

How many times does Colombia fit into the United States?

8.62 times: 3,795,967 sq mi (9,831,510 km²) divided by 440,395 sq mi (1,140,619 km²). These are the same areas as in the True size map (World Bank).

Which has more people, Colombia or the United States?

The United States: 342 million people versus 53.4 million (6.40 times as many). Per square mile, 121 per sq mi (47 per km²) in Colombia and 90 per sq mi (35 per km²) in the United States.

Why does the United States look bigger on maps?

Because of the Mercator projection: the United States is farther from the equator (centered at 40° N), and that map enlarges its area 2.3 times, versus 1.0 times for Colombia. On an equal-area projection, like the map on this page, they appear in their true proportion.

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