Visualizing the Relationship Between Country Size and GDP
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Visualizing the Relationship Between Country Size and GDP
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Key Takeaways
The U.S. has the world’s largest GDP at over $29 trillion, despite being only the third-largest country by land area.
Russia and Canada are among the largest countries geographically but rank much lower in GDP.
There is no clear correlation between land area and economic output. Smaller countries can punch well above their weight.
When comparing countries, two common metrics are land area and GDP. But how closely are they actually related?
This visualization, created by Julie Peasley, juxtaposes the land area and economic output of the 30 largest countries in the world. It draws from World Bank GDP data and Wikipedia’s country size estimates, offering a unique look at just how different these measures can be.
Here’s the full data used in the visualization:
30 Largest CountriesGDP ($USD)Area (square km)Area (square miles)
United States29,184,890,000,0009,525,0673,677,649
China18,743,803,170,8279,596,9603,705,407
India3,912,686,168,5823,287,2631,269,219
Canada2,241,253,230,9709,984,6703,855,103
Brazil2,179,412,080,8298,510,3463,285,863
Russia2,173,835,806,67217,098,2466,601,670
Mexico1,852,722,885,2581,964,375758,449
Australia1,752,193,307,3807,741,2202,988,902
Indonesia1,396,300,098,1911,904,5697,35,358
Saudi Arabia1,237,529,866,6672,149,690830,000
Argentina633,266,692,5342,780,4001,073,518
Iran436,906,331,6721,648,195636,372
Colombia418,542,042,9201,138,910439,736
South Africa400,260,724,2261,219,090470,693
Egypt389,059,911,0041,001,450386,662
Peru289,221,969,0601,285,216496,225
Kazakhstan288,406,138,2312,724,9101,052,094
Algeria263,619,794,5072,381,741919,595
Ethiopia109,490,000,0001,104,300426,373
Angola80,396,942,2421,246,700481,354
DRC70,749,355,6522,344,858905,355
Sudan49,909,807,0301,861,484718,723
Bolivia49,668,296,7441,098,581424,164
Libya46,636,278,9021,759,540679,362
Mali26,588,067,7311,240,192478,841
Mongolia23,586,055,8021,564,116603,909
Chad20,625,711,6651,284,000495,755
Niger19,537,639,2881,267,000489,191
Mauritania10,766,731,8741,030,700397,955
Greenland3,326,544,1742,166,086836,330
While China is slightly larger in land area than the U.S. (by about 72,000 sq. km), America’s GDP is over $10 trillion higher. Meanwhile, Russia and Canada—two of the largest countries—fall behind in economic output, illustrating the lack of a strong link between size and GDP.
Does Geographic Size Influence GDP?
Looking at this data, there’s no strong correlation between landmass and economic output. According to a 2023 research paper, GDP is more strongly influenced by population and infrastructure than sheer physical size.
For instance, India, with only a third of the U.S. or China’s landmass, ranks third in GDP due to its massive population and growing industrial base. On the flip side, Australia and Canada boast vast territories but smaller populations, limiting their economic scale.
Outliers That Punch Above Their Weight
Several countries in the visualization illustrate this dynamic vividly:
Japan and Germany: Relatively small in landmass but economic powerhouses, ranking high in global GDP.
Indonesia: The fourth most populous country, yet its GDP lags behind similarly sized countries due to development disparities.
Brazil: A mix of large area and moderate economic power, it sits in the middle of the pack.
As this chart shows, while landmass can support economic activity (through agriculture, resource extraction, etc.), it does not guarantee high GDP. In fact, many of the most prosperous countries are relatively small but highly industrialized and urbanized.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
Looking to explore more comparisons like this? Check out Comparing the Land Area of the 15 Largest Countries in the World on the Voronoi app.
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