Have you ever wondered which U.S. states resemble countries more closely than others? The Country – US State Comparisons are designed to quantify just that — measuring how similar each U.S. state is to different countries around the world relative to the United States. This index provides a data-driven way to make those comparisons. It equally weights five major factors: demographics, culture, politics, technology, and geography. Over 1,000 different data points are used to generate the results.
Top 10 Countries More Similar to Nebraska than the US
Nebraska is more rural, agricultural, and socially conservative than the United States overall. People in Nebraska tend to start families earlier and have more children. The state is relatively flat, landlocked, and has little forested land, like all five countries on this list.
- Moldova has a lot in common with Nebraska. They have a similar continental climate and the vast majority of their land is for agriculture. The country is relatively conservative, especially on social issues, and has limited urbanization, much like Nebraska. Furthermore, most of their people have European ancestry.
- Niger is another landlocked country, but in Africa. It is a nation with a largely rural population and many of their people work in agriculture. Both governments have passed conservative laws that ban same sex marriage. However, one big difference is that Niger has a much drier climate than Nebraska.
- Mali borders Niger. It has a primarily agricultural economy and a rural population. Its geography, low population density, and flat terrain are key similarities. Both economies rely heavily on farming exports. Culturally, Mali is also socially conservative, with strong family structures and traditions.
- Central African Republic is another landlocked country in Africa, where most people live in rural areas. Both have a low population density. Another trait that their people share is a similar rate of circumcision. In addition, religion is central to community identity, influencing family values and cultural norms.
- Paraguay is located in South America. Paraguay and Nebraska are mostly farmlands. Their major crops are soybean and corn. They have a similar urbanization rate. In addition, both have decriminalized marijuana and banned smoking in public. However, Nebraska has a lower percentage of Spanish-speakers than the United States overall.
- Togo, 7. Lithuania, 8. Burundi, 9. Burkina Faso,10. Chad
Top 10 Countries Less Similar to Nebraska than the US
Interestingly enough, four of the five countries with significantly fewer similarities to Nebraska than the United States overall have populations with predominately European ancestry. These countries have a lot of coastline and are much more mountainous than Nebraska.
- Chile is a Spanish-speaking country in South America. It has a massive amount of coastline, in contrast to Nebraska. In addition, Chile’s climate varies dramatically from north to south, while Nebraska has a continental climate.
- Norway is very different from Nebraska in both geography and politics. It is a mountainous country with extensive forests and one of the longest coastlines. Socially, Norway is among the most progressive countries, in stark contrast to Nebraska.
- Canada and Nebraska both have relatively cold climates and are sparsely populated. However, Canada has a much more diverse geography that includes vast coastlines on three different oceans. Canada’s population is also more diverse than Nebraska’s.
- Spain has a lot of coastline and its climate is significantly warmer than Nebraska’s. Furthermore, Nebraska has relatively few Latinos, so a low percentage of its people speak Spanish unlike many other areas of the United States.
- Mexico has extensive coastlines on both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans,. Its climate is generally much warmer and more arid than Nebraska’s. Mexico’s culture is strongly influenced by Spanish and Indigenous heritage, and Spanish is the dominant language.
- Malaysia, 7. China, 8. Italy, 9. South Korea, 10. Taiwan
Full Ranking of Countries and Territories More Similar to Nebraska than the US
All data accurate as of 2025.