Ranking Countries

CAN · Americas · refreshed Aug 10, 2026

If Canada were a US state

It would sit in the top half on 19 of 27 measures — and come first on 7 of them.

Map showing where Canada is in the world
10th
median, of 52
48th
median, world
7
first places
Share

Keep exploring

Who leads the world

Countries that rank like Canada

Head to head: Canada vs the United States, measure by measure · or against France.

From the blog: How representative are country rankings?

All 68 measures →Every country ranked →Every US state →All the Top 10s →The overall board →How we read the data →

Common questions

Questions people ask about Canada

If Canada were a US state, how would it rank?

Across 27 measures of health, safety, money, education and the environment, Canada's median rank would be 10th on a list of the 50 states plus Washington, DC. It lands in the top half of that list on 19 of the 27 measures.

Is Canada richer than the average US state?

Canada's GDP per capita is $66,746, price-adjusted so states and countries sit on one scale. That would rank 51st of 52 among the states — poorer than most US states. Source: World Bank (PPP), 2025. See the full ranking

What is life expectancy in Canada vs the US?

People in Canada live 82.1 years on average — 3.2 years longer than the US figure of 78.9 years. Among the states, Canada would rank 1st of 52. Source: World Bank / UN Population Division, 2024. See the full ranking

How safe is Canada compared to US states?

Canada's homicide rate is 2 per 100k — lower than in most US states. Ranked with the states on the lowest rate, it would come 4th of 52. Source: UNODC / WHO, 2023. See the full ranking

Where does Canada rank in the world?

On the 30 measures with wide global coverage, Canada's median rank is 48th out of roughly 190 countries (coverage varies by measure). Rank 1st means best in the world.

What is Canada best at?

Compared with US states, Canada's strongest measure is life expectancy: at 82.1 years, it would rank 1st of 52. It does equally well on lowest gun deaths. Source: World Bank / UN Population Division, 2024. See the full ranking

What is Canada weakest at?

Canada's weakest showing is average wages: 4,571 $/month (PPP) would rank 52nd of 52 — last place on the list. Source: ILO (ILOSTAT), 2025. See the full ranking

How happy are people in Canada?

Canada scores 6.74 / 10 for self-reported life satisfaction, ranking 25th of 162 countries worldwide. Source: World Happiness Report, 2025. See the full ranking

How big is Canada compared to a US state?

Canada has about 41.7 million people — more people than any US state. Dropped into the list of 50 states plus DC, it would rank 1st of 52 by population. Source: World Bank, 2025. See the full ranking