What is the difference in land area between China and United States of America?

240,790 sq. km, with China ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States of America?

63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.

Where does this data come from?

FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as Land area (sq. km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

China vs United States of America: Land area

China

9.39 million sq. km

in 2023

United States of America

9.15 million sq. km

in 2023

China rank

2nd

United States of America rank

3rd

Land area over time

China
United States of America

How they compare

China currently reports 9.39 million sq. km against 9.15 million sq. km in United States of America, a difference of 240,790 sq. km.

Across all 63 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.

China ranks 2nd and United States of America ranks 3rd of 215 countries.

China has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	China	United States of America	Difference	Ahead
1960s	9.39 million sq. km	9.16 million sq. km	229,290 sq. km	China
1970s	9.39 million sq. km	9.16 million sq. km	229,290 sq. km	China
1980s	9.39 million sq. km	9.16 million sq. km	229,290 sq. km	China
1990s	9.39 million sq. km	9.16 million sq. km	229,281 sq. km	China
2000s	9.39 million sq. km	9.16 million sq. km	229,191 sq. km	China
2010s	9.39 million sq. km	9.15 million sq. km	240,790 sq. km	China
2020s	9.39 million sq. km	9.15 million sq. km	240,790 sq. km	China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher land area, China or United States of America?: China, at 9.39 million sq. km against 9.15 million sq. km in United States of America as of 2023.
What is the difference in land area between China and United States of America?: 240,790 sq. km, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States of America?: 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
How do China and United States of America rank globally for land area?: China ranks 2nd and United States of America ranks 3rd of 215 countries.
Where does this data come from?: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as Land area (sq. km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs United States of America: Land area. Statizoid, drawing on FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/compare/land-area-sq-km/china/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator: Land area (sq. km)
Unit: sq. km
Source: FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 263 places, 15,310 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 20 August 2026

Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.