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 Tennessee than the US
Tennessee has less developed infrastructure and is more socially conservative than the United States overall. Interestingly enough, the five countries on the list that are more similar to Tennessee than the United States overall are all located in Africa.
- Central African Republic is a landlocked country located between Chad and Congo. Although Central African Republic’s climate is much hotter, they have a mix of forests and farmlands. Their governments have imposed extremely low taxes, but also low minimum wages. Neither has banned smoking in public places.
- Burkina Faso, like Tennessee, has many people living in the rural areas. Both governments have passed conservative laws banning same-sex marriage. They have conservative legal and cultural attitudes. They also still allow corporal punishment. However, its climate is much hotter and drier than Tennessee’s.
- Lesotho is entirely surrounded by South Africa. Lesotho and Tennessee are both quite mountainous and have temperate climate as well. Like Tennessee, it has a largely rural population and a strong sense of local community. Christianity plays an important role in everyday life. Both were once colonized by the British too.
- Guinea is in West Africa, where many of the state’s slaves originated from. Guinea’s economy and demographics reflect Tennessee’s profile in key ways: both are unevenly developed. Rural life dominates in both places, where community ties and traditional lifestyles remain central. They do not have many restrictions on guns as well.
- Eswatini is another small, landlocked country in southern Africa on this list. Like Tennessee, Eswatini maintains traditional governance structures alongside modern government, reflecting Tennessee’s unique mix of values. The vast majority of their people are Protestant Christian as well.
- Uganda, 7. Togo, 8. Gambia, 9. Liberia, 10. Mali
Top 10 Countries Less Similar to Tennessee than the US
Interestingly enough, the five countries with the fewest similarities to Tennessee than the United States overall have populations that are primarily European in origin. Furthermore, their governments have far more liberal laws.
- Canada is much colder than Tennessee and more sparsely populated. It also has much more diverse geography that includes vast coastlines on three different oceans. Canada’s laws are more progressive than the laws in Tennessee too.
- Australia has a much hotter and drier climate than Tennessee and is more sparsely populated. In addition, Australia provides public healthcare and a broader welfare state, while Tennessee relies more on market forces and charity.
- Spain‘s Mediterranean climate and long coastline contrast with the geography of Tennessee. Politically, Spain has strong labor protections and progressive social laws. Its modern infrastructure (high-speed rail and advanced healthcare) sets it further apart.
- Argentina is in South America. Politically and socially, Argentina leans more liberal on issues like same-sex marriage and abortion, contrasting with Tennessee’s more conservative policies. It has a lower percentage of forested land than Tennessee too.
- New Zealand ranks high on global indexes of trust in quality of life. These traits align New Zealand more with progressive coastal states than Tennessee. In contrast to landlocked Tennessee, it is located on islands in the Pacific Ocean.
- Italy, 7. Norway, 8. Greece, 9. Germany, 10. Russia
Full Ranking of Countries and Territories More Similar to Tennessee than the US
All data accurate as of 2025.