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 Wyoming than the US
The countries that resemble Wyoming more than the United States overall tend to be sparsely populated. The top five are all landlocked. Three are located in Asia and the other two are in Africa.
- Mongolia and Wyoming are both rugged, mountainous, and sparsely populated. They have cultures that are highly engaged with outdoor life, including horseback riding and hunting. Furthermore, both places have a dry continental climate and lots of pasture land. They also have a lot of copper and iron mines.
- Niger is located between the Sahara Desert and Sub-Saharan Africa. Niger and Wyoming share a surprising number of similarities. Both have a dry climate and lots of pasture land, so farming and livestock playing an economic role. They also have low rates of homicide.
- Mali borders Niger and has many similar attributes, so it is no surprise it is on this list too. They both have vast semi-arid landscapes, featuring extensive pasture lands that support livestock. They also share reliance on mineral extraction, with Mali’s gold mining echoing Wyoming’s resource-based economy.
- Afghanistan and Wyoming are mountainous and sparsely populated, with many people living in rural areas. Their farms tend to have a lot of wheat. Both have a tradition of large families and early marriages. In addition, their governments have extremely conservative laws. The vast majority of their people are Caucasian as well.
- Tajikistan borders Afghanistan. Tajikistan and Wyoming are quite mountainous. They have relatively low taxes. In addition, both have significant coal reserves. Mining accounts for a significant amount of their economies. Both tend to use a lot of water to irrigate their farmlands.
- Kyrgyzstan, 7. Central African Republic, 8. Kazakhstan, 9. Uzbekistan, 10. Turkmenistan
Top 10 Countries Less Similar to Wyoming than the US
The five countries with the fewest similarities to Wyoming tend to be countries with a lot of coastline. Four of the five are also significantly more densely populated and urbanized than Wyoming.
- Singapore is a tiny island nation with a population of over 5 million people, making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth. This is the polar opposite of Wyoming’s vast, empty spaces. It gets far more rainfall as well.
- Netherlands is relatively flat and much more densely populated than Wyoming. Furthermore, their political and cultural differences are substantial. The people in the Netherlands tend to be far more liberal.
- Canada and Wyoming both have relatively cold climates and are sparsely populated. However, they have some massive differences in culture and politics as well. Canada tends to have less conservative laws.
- United Kingdom is an island nation with extensive coastlines, a mild and rainy maritime climate. It’s highly urbanized with major cities like London. Its stricter gun control contrasts sharply with Wyoming’s ranching lifestyle and conservative leanings.
- Japan is a mountainous archipelago nation that’s densely packed with megacities like Tokyo. Its humid subtropical to temperate climate brings heavy rainfall and typhoons. Its focus on collectivism and technology differ greatly from Wyoming’s rugged individualism.
- New Zealand, 7. Germany, 8. Italy, 9. Brazil, 10. Spain
Full Ranking of Countries and Territories More Similar to Wyoming than the US
All data accurate as of 2025.