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Continent · Country Index 2026

Americas

How do the countries of Americas compare?

Half of Americas’s 33 placed countries sit at or above 81st of 183 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 2nd of 5 continents. Canada is placed highest, 24th; Haiti lowest, 173rd. 3 reach the world’s top fifth. 15 more of its 48 countries and territories are not placed.

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AmericasUN M49 019

Americas, shown in red on a map of the world

81st

median position of 183 · 2nd of 5 continents

Every region →world midpoint 91st

01Its sub-regions

The 4 sub-regions of Americas

Each card gives the sub-region’s median position and a bar from its best-placed to its lowest-placed country; the photographs are the three most populous members with a banner. Every country follows below.

Every country in Americas

Northern Americamedian 24th

Central Americamedian 80th

Caribbeanmedian 81st

South Americamedian 83rd

02The region

About Americas

Both American continents and the Caribbean — from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego.

The Americas are two continents joined by the isthmus of Central America, reaching from the Arctic islands of Canada and Greenland to Tierra del Fuego, with the islands of the Caribbean between them. Mountain chains — the Rockies in the north, the Andes in the south — run almost the whole length of the western side, and the Amazon, the Mississippi and the Orinoco drain vast basins to the east.

Indigenous peoples built the civilisations of the Maya, the Aztecs and the Inca long before European contact in 1492. Spain, Portugal, Britain and France colonised most of the two continents, and the slave trade brought millions of Africans across the Atlantic. Most states became independent between the late eighteenth and the twentieth century, and English, Spanish, Portuguese and French are spoken alongside many Indigenous languages.

03Where

Americas on the map

Each member shaded by its position in the Country Index 2026, darkest for the best placed; the countries across its land borders in grey. Hover a country for its position, or select it to open its profile.

Country Index position: 1st183rdMember, not placedAcross the border, another regionNot a country this site tracks

04Country Index 2026

Where Americas’s countries place

Best placed first. Every position is a place in the whole world ranking of 183, never a second list within the region; “=” marks a position shared with another country. Hover the ⓘ for where a country would sit if any one key statistic were dropped.

The full Country Index 2026
Americas’s 33 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In regionCountrySub-regionIn the world1st183rd
1CanadaNorthern America24 / 183between 21st and 25th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
2UruguaySouth America35 / 183between 33rd and 36th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
3United StatesNorthern America37 / 183between 36th and 38th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
4Costa RicaCentral America40 / 183between 38th and 42nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
5ChileSouth America41 / 183between 39th and 42nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
6BrazilSouth America48 / 183between 45th and 51st if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
7ArgentinaSouth America59 / 183between 55th and 62nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
8PeruSouth America60 / 183between 53rd and 66th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
9BarbadosCaribbean67 / 183between 59th and 75th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
10Saint LuciaCaribbean68 / 183between 57th and 75th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
11PanamaCentral America69 / 183between 59th and 78th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
12Dominican RepublicCaribbean71 / 183between 66th and 74th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
12Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesCaribbean71 / 183between 62nd and 79th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
14MexicoCentral America73 / 183between 65th and 76th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
15JamaicaCaribbean76 / 183between 73rd and 79th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
16BelizeCentral America80 / 183between 78th and 94th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
17Antigua and BarbudaCaribbean81 / 183between 77th and 92nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 13 of 16 topics
18ParaguaySouth America83 / 183between 79th and 99th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
19GrenadaCaribbean85 / 183between 75th and 95th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
20ColombiaSouth America86 / 183between 78th and 93rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
20EcuadorSouth America86 / 183between 81st and 97th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
22Trinidad and TobagoCaribbean90 / 183between 79th and 92nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
23SurinameSouth America91 / 183between 89th and 101st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
24GuyanaSouth America99 / 183between 87th and 108th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
25BahamasCaribbean104 / 183between 85th and 109th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 16 topics
26BoliviaSouth America110 / 183between 102nd and 115th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
27El SalvadorCentral America111 / 183between 107th and 117th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
28GuatemalaCentral America118 / 183between 115th and 119th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
29CubaCaribbean119 / 183between 113th and 123rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 13 of 16 topics
30HondurasCentral America122 / 183between 118th and 126th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
31VenezuelaSouth America133 / 183between 129th and 145th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
32NicaraguaCentral America134 / 183between 128th and 144th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
33HaitiCaribbean173 / 183between 171st and 175th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics

A further 15 of its countries and territories are not placed: the Country Index 2026 places a country only once it holds a standing on 12 of its 16 voting topics. Anguilla, Aruba, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Greenland, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands and United States Virgin Islands.

Americas among the 5 continents with a median

2nd of 5. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

  1. Europe26thPlaced countries run from Switzerland 1st to Russia 73rd.
  2. Americas81stPlaced countries run from Canada 24th to Haiti 173rd.
  3. Asia91stPlaced countries run from South Korea 13th to Yemen 181st.
  4. Oceania97thPlaced countries run from Australia 17th to Papua New Guinea 144th.
  5. Africa148thPlaced countries run from Mauritius 45th to South Sudan 183rd.
  6. The world’s midpoint91st
1st183rdmedian

The square is each region’s median position; the grey bar runs from its best-placed to its lowest-placed country. Hover a row for their names.

05By subject

Topic by topic

Each sub-region’s median position on each topic, its shade darker the higher it sits in that topic’s field. Strongest for Americas: Economy & Innovation, 2nd of 5 continents. Weakest: Risk & Resilience, 4th of 5.

All topics
Americas: each sub-region’s median position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among continents.
Economy & InnovationEnergyFood & AgricultureGender & EqualityGovernance & InstitutionsDemocracy & Civil LibertiesDevelopment & Human CapitalEducation & KnowledgeEnvironment & SustainabilityHealth & WellbeingPeace & SecurityWork & LabourDigital & TechnologyMobility & TradePoverty & InequalityRisk & ResilienceMoney & Public FinancePeople & Population
Northern America18 of 17622 of 16512 of 18421 of 1838 of 19415 of 19827 of 19660 of 198150 of 18630 of 20034 of 17714 of 1827 of 19838 of 17728 of 15952 of 193No standingNo standing
Central America76 of 17642 of 16590 of 18474 of 183101 of 194118 of 198120 of 196147 of 19848 of 18690 of 20085 of 17778 of 182120 of 198113 of 177115 of 159136 of 193No standingNo standing
Caribbean80 of 176142 of 16564 of 18473 of 18382 of 19454 of 19892 of 19697 of 198123 of 186103 of 20024 of 17783 of 182157 of 198103 of 17776 of 15964 of 193No standingNo standing
South America77 of 17637 of 16597 of 18459 of 18394 of 19490 of 19894 of 19682 of 19864 of 18689 of 20079 of 17787 of 18287 of 198108 of 177101 of 159109 of 193No standingNo standing
Americas median77th of 17685th of 16577th of 18468th of 18391st of 19470th of 19894th of 19693rd of 19889th of 18692nd of 20079th of 17778th of 182126th of 198108th of 177100th of 159104th of 193——
Among continents2nd of 52nd of 52nd of 52nd of 52nd of 53rd of 53rd of 53rd of 53rd of 53rd of 53rd of 53rd of 54th of 54th of 54th of 54th of 5——

Columns run from the topic where Americas places best among continents to the one where it places lowest. A region’s median on a topic needs at least two members with a standing; a hatched cell has no standing.

06In numbers

Americas in 6 numbers

Each line is every country in the world at its published value; Americas’s countries are the red ticks, and the dashed line is the world median. There is no regional average: a region has countries, not a life expectancy of its own.

All statistics

  • Population

    people · log scale

    UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · no better end

    MontserratUnited States496world median 6,541,4131,438,069,596

  • Land area

    km²

    FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end

    No reading: Nicaragua

    Sint MaartenUnited States0.4world median 87,58916,376,870

  • GDP per person

    international $, PPP · log scale

    World Bank Group · 2025 · 185 countries · higher is better

    No reading: Anguilla, Aruba, Bahamas, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Greenland, Montserrat, Saint Martin, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands, Venezuela

    HaitiGuyana1,067world median 17,265139,593

  • Life expectancy

    years at birth

    UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · higher is better

    HaitiCanada54.46world median 74.6386.37

  • Human development

    HDI, 0–1

    UNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · 193 countries · higher is better

    No reading: Anguilla, Aruba, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Greenland, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands

    HaitiCanada0.388world median 0.7620.972

  • Unemployment

    % of the labour force

    ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better

    No reading: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Greenland, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands

    CubaVCT0.13world median 5.08434.2
Every value for Americas’s countries
CountryPopulation 2023Land area 2024GDP per person 2025Life expectancy 2023Human development 2023Unemployment 2025
Anguilla14,410rank 21690.65rank 211—79.31rank 56——
Antigua and Barbuda93,316rank 194440.3rank 19330,620rank 6277.6rank 760.851rank 53—
Argentina45,538,401rank 342,736,690rank 827,847rank 6777.39rank 780.865rank 477.145rank 55
Aruba107,939rank 191180rank 207—76.35rank 92——
Bahamas399,440rank 17610,010rank 163—74.55rank 1130.82rank 669.207rank 39
Barbados282,336rank 180431rank 19422,127rank 7876.18rank 960.811rank 696.524rank 64
Belize411,106rank 17522,810rank 14812,789rank 11273.57rank 1220.721rank 1158.856rank 43
Bermuda64,698rank 20054rank 213—82.31rank 28——
Bolivia12,244,159rank 791,087,959rank 2711,001rank 11868.58rank 1670.733rank 1082.967rank 145
Brazil211,140,729rank 78,358,140rank 520,025rank 8275.85rank 1000.786rank 845.97rank 74
British Virgin Islands38,985rank 209151rank 209—77.28rank 81——
Canada39,299,105rank 388,788,700rank 457,990rank 2482.63rank 230.939rank 166.907rank 58
Cayman Islands73,038rank 198240rank 202—80.36rank 49——
Chile19,658,835rank 65742,032rank 3830,863rank 6081.17rank 430.878rank 458.974rank 42
Colombia52,321,152rank 281,109,500rank 2618,779rank 8977.72rank 740.788rank 838.29rank 51
Costa Rica5,105,525rank 12550,560rank 12628,443rank 6680.8rank 460.833rank 626.843rank 59
Cuba11,019,931rank 86103,800rank 103—78.09rank 660.762rank 971.746rank 168
Curaçao185,427rank 184444rank 192—76.8rank 86——
Dominica66,510rank 199751rank 18119,409rank 8571.13rank 1500.761rank 98—
Dominican Republic11,331,265rank 8548,198rank 12724,543rank 7273.72rank 1190.776rank 895.092rank 91
Ecuador17,980,083rank 72248,360rank 7714,319rank 10577.39rank 800.777rank 883.308rank 131
El Salvador6,309,624rank 11220,720rank 15012,050rank 11572.1rank 1380.678rank 1323.303rank 132
Greenland55,922rank 201410,449rank 58—70.06rank 156——
Grenada117,081rank 189344rank 19718,241rank 9075.21rank 1070.791rank 80—
Guatemala18,124,838rank 69107,160rank 10212,987rank 11172.6rank 1320.662rank 1372.604rank 157
Guyana826,353rank 164211,140rank 8383,659rank 870.18rank 1540.776rank 8911.96rank 24
Haiti11,637,398rank 8227,560rank 1422,678rank 17264.94rank 1950.554rank 16614.94rank 16
Honduras10,644,851rank 88111,890rank 1006,726rank 13972.88rank 1280.645rank 1394.92rank 99
Jamaica2,839,786rank 14210,830rank 16011,358rank 11771.48rank 1450.72rank 1173.286rank 133
Mexico129,739,759rank 101,943,950rank 1321,912rank 7975.07rank 1080.789rank 812.673rank 155
Montserrat4,420rank 220102rank 210—76.19rank 95——
Nicaragua6,823,613rank 109—7,933rank 13174.95rank 1090.706rank 1235.04rank 95
Panama4,458,759rank 12974,180rank 11537,516rank 5279.59rank 550.839rank 598.36rank 47
Paraguay6,844,146rank 108396,012rank 6017,246rank 9473.84rank 1180.756rank 994.803rank 101
Peru33,845,617rank 451,280,000rank 1916,079rank 10077.74rank 730.794rank 795.117rank 90
Puerto Rico3,242,023rank 1358,870rank 16544,603rank 4181.69rank 37—5.991rank 72
Saint Kitts and Nevis46,758rank 204261rank 20031,428rank 5972.14rank 1360.84rank 58—
Saint Lucia179,285rank 185610rank 18524,503rank 7372.7rank 1310.748rank 1039.452rank 37
Saint Martin27,515rank 21453rank 214—80.22rank 50——
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines101,323rank 193389rank 19519,483rank 8471.23rank 1470.798rank 7618rank 10
Sint Maarten42,749rank 20734rank 21548,273rank 3676.37rank 91——
Suriname628,886rank 170160,508rank 9119,357rank 8673.63rank 1210.722rank 1147.834rank 52
Trinidad and Tobago1,502,932rank 1555,128rank 16831,722rank 5873.49rank 1230.807rank 723.329rank 129
Turks and Caicos Islands46,198rank 205948.23rank 178—78.01rank 68——
United States343,477,335rank 39,147,420rank 376,931rank 1079.3rank 570.938rank 174.198rank 113
United States Virgin Islands85,701rank 195348rank 196—75.47rank 103—11.44rank 28
Uruguay3,388,081rank 134175,016rank 9032,742rank 5778.14rank 650.862rank 487.516rank 54
Venezuela28,300,854rank 53882,050rank 32—72.51rank 1330.709rank 1215.307rank 86

07In records

Americas in records

The member at the extreme of each statistic, read from its newest edition. Where two members share the top, no record is named.

08Latest editions

Who rose and fell in the published ranks

The moves of Americas’s countries between each report’s two newest editions, in the publisher’s own ranks. A report whose field changed by more than 5% is left out.

Ranks as published by UNDP Human Development Report Office in the Human Development Index: reference years 2022 (192 countries ranked) → 2023 (193 ranked), both from its 2025 report.

Improved most

rank before → after
  1. Guyana95 → 89+6
  2. Bolivia113 → 108+5
  3. Costa Rica65 → 62+3

Declined most

rank before → after
  1. Cuba91 → 97−6
  2. Antigua and Barbuda51 → 53−2
  3. Panama57 → 59−2
Every country in the Human Development Index

09In context

Across the border

The countries outside Americas that share a land border with one of its members, with their world positions, and the continents they belong to. Land borders only, as drawn on the map.

Europe

The neighbouring continents

10Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The other continents

11Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in Americas?

Americas holds 48 countries and territories on this site, in 4 UN sub-regions: Northern America, Central America, Caribbean and South America. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification.

Which country in Americas is placed highest?

Canada, placed 24th of 183 in the Country Index 2026. Haiti is placed lowest, 173rd. 33 of the region’s 48 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Americas compare with other regions?

Half of its 33 placed countries sit at or above 81st of 183, which places it 2nd of 5 continents. The middle of the whole field is 91st. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

How many people live in Americas?

1,040,718,197 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for its 48 countries and territories.

What is the largest country in Americas?

By land area, United States: 9,147,420 square kilometres (2024). By population, United States: 343,477,335 people (2023).

How a region’s figure is made
  1. Membership. Countries belong to regions by the United Nations’ M49 classification; each country declares its sub-region, and a continent is the sum of its sub-regions.
  2. Positions. Each country’s position is its Country Index 2026 result, unchanged. This page slices the world ranking by place; it does not re-rank anyone.
  3. The median. A region’s figure is the median of its placed countries’ positions: half sit at or above it, half below. With an even number of placed countries it takes the better of the two middle positions, since there is no country at a half place. Countries the index does not place are named, never counted in.
  4. A place among peers. Continents are compared with continents and sub-regions with sub-regions, never a part with the whole that contains it; regions sharing a median share a place. Nothing is weighted by population or size, and population and land area are the only figures ever added up.

Where the regions come from

United Nations Statistics Division, Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49). M49’s middle level (Sub-Saharan Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean) is left out, so every sub-region sits directly under its continent. Kosovo, Northern Cyprus and Somaliland are not in M49 and are placed by geography.

Where the positions come from

Every position is a country’s result in the Country Index 2026 or one of its topics, unchanged. The population and land-area figures are the UN DESA Population Division’s and the FAO’s, added up and shown with their year; every other statistic names its publisher beside its numbers.

Photographs

Each country’s own banner from its profile: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Americas: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/americas

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