How big is Canada?
Canada is 9,984,670 km² in total. Of that, 891,163 km² is freshwater, lakes and rivers, the largest freshwater area of any country. About 41.6 million people live there (UN estimate, 2025), which works out to 4.2 people per km². Only Australia, Namibia, Mongolia and a handful of others are emptier.
| Place | Total area | Compared with Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Africa (54 countries) | 30,030,427 km² | 3.01× Canada |
| Russia | 17,098,246 km² | 1.71× Canada |
| United States | 9,833,520 km² | Canada is 1.0× bigger |
| China | 9,596,961 km² | Canada is 1.0× bigger |
| Brazil | 8,515,767 km² | Canada is 1.2× bigger |
| Australia | 7,692,024 km² | Canada is 1.3× bigger |
| European Union (27) | 4,146,686 km² | Canada is 2.4× bigger |
| India | 3,287,263 km² | Canada is 3.0× bigger |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | Canada is 4.6× bigger |
| Mexico | 1,964,375 km² | Canada is 5.1× bigger |
Canada vs Africa
Africa is 30,030,427 km² across 54 countries, 3.0 times Canada. Three Canadas fit inside Africa with 0.1 million km² to spare.
Inside Africa, Canada would be the largest country by far. Algeria, the current largest, is 2,381,741 km²; Canada is 4.2 times that. You can see this in Perspective Map by choosing Africa and dropping Canada in as a guest. The map ranks it against the 54 African countries and shows the box at the same scale as its neighbours.
Canada vs the United States
By total area Canada wins: 9,984,670 km² against 9,833,520 km². By land alone the United States wins: 9,147,593 km² against 9,093,507 km². The gap is water. Canada's lakes and rivers cover 891,163 km², the United States' cover 685,924 km² (both figures from the CIA World Factbook).
Perspective Map uses total area, the convention of the UN Statistics Division and the CIA World Factbook. That is why Canada's box is slightly bigger than the United States' box.
Canada vs Greenland
Canada is 4.6 times the size of Greenland. Both look enormous on Google Maps and for the same reason: the Mercator projection multiplies area by about 2 at 45° north, 4 at 60° north and 10 at 72° north. Greenland sits almost entirely above 60°. Most of Canada's land does too, though most of its people live along the southern border at 43° to 50° north, where the stretch is about two times.
Canada vs Europe
The 27 countries of the European Union add up to 4,146,686 km². Canada is 2.4 times that. Europe without Russia, 42 countries in Perspective Map's data, is 6.0 million km², so Canada is bigger than every European country combined once Russia is left out.
Questions people ask
Is Canada bigger than the United States?
By total area, yes: 9,984,670 km² against 9,833,520 km². By land alone, no: Canada has 9,093,507 km² of land and the United States 9,147,593 km². The difference is water. Canada has 891,163 km² of lakes and rivers, more than any other country. Perspective Map uses total area, the UN and CIA convention.
Is Canada bigger than Russia?
No. Russia is 17,098,246 km², 1.7 times the size of Canada. Canada is the second-largest country in the world.
Is Canada bigger than China?
Yes, but barely. Canada is 9,984,670 km² and China is 9,596,961 km², a difference of about 4 percent.
Is Canada bigger than Africa?
No. Africa is 3.0 times bigger than Canada. Canada would be the largest country in Africa by a wide margin, but it is one third of the continent.
How much of Canada is water?
About 8.9 percent: 891,163 km² of freshwater out of 9,984,670 km², according to the CIA World Factbook. That is the largest freshwater area of any country.
Why does Canada look so big on Google Maps?
Because Mercator stretches area more the further north you go. Southern Canada, where most people live, sits at 43° to 50° north and is drawn at about twice its true area. The Arctic islands at 70° to 83° north are drawn at 8 to 60 times theirs.