Country comparison
Japan Spain
How do Japan and Spain compare on area, population, economy and living standards? Every figure below comes from open data, computed at build time.
Japan vs Spain at a glance
- Japan's surface area is smaller: about 81% of Spain's (404,359 km² vs 501,633 km²).
- Japan's population is larger: about 2.5× Spain's (123.4M vs 49.4M).
- Japan's GDP (total) is larger: about 2.3× Spain's ($4.4T vs $1.9T).
- Japan's GDP per capita is about 93% of Spain's.
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JapanSpain — Japan's GDP per capita is about 93% of Spain's.
| Metric | Japan | Spain | A vs B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population & land | |||
| Population | 123.4M (2025) | 49.4M (2025) | 2.5× |
| Population growth | -0.5% (2025) | 1.0% (2025) | N/A |
| Urban population share | 92.3% (2025) | 80.5% (2025) | 1.1× |
| Population aged 65+ | 30.0% (2025) | 21.6% (2025) | 1.4× |
| Fertility rate | 1.2 (2024) | 1.1 (2024) | 1.0× |
| Birth rate | 5.7‰ (2024) | 6.5‰ (2024) | 88% |
| Death rate | 13.3‰ (2024) | 8.9‰ (2024) | 1.5× |
| Net migration | 140.6K (2025) | 96.6K (2025) | 1.5× |
| Surface area | 404,359 km² | 501,633 km² | 81% |
| Population densityderived | 305/km² (2025) | 98.4/km² (2025) | 3.1× |
| Economy | |||
| GDP (total) | $4.4T (2025) | $1.9T (2025) | 2.3× |
| GDP per capita | $35,951 (2025) | $38,627 (2025) | 93% |
| GNI per capita | $38,340 (2025) | $37,120 (2025) | 1.0× |
| GDP growth (annual) | 1.2% (2025) | 2.8% (2025) | 42% |
| Inflation rate | 3.2% (2025) | 2.7% (2025) | 1.2× |
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% (2025) | 10.4% (2025) | 24% |
| Gini index | 32.3 (2020) | 33.4 (2023) | 97% |
| Poverty rate ($2.15/day) | 1.2% (2020) | 0.8% (2023) | 1.5× |
| Trade & industry | |||
| Exports share of GDP | 22.0% (2024) | 36.6% (2025) | 60% |
| Imports share of GDP | 22.9% (2024) | 32.8% (2025) | 70% |
| Agriculture share of GDP | 1.0% (2024) | 2.7% (2025) | 36% |
| Manufacturing share of GDP | 18.8% (2024) | 10.6% (2025) | 1.8× |
| International tourist arrivals | 4.1M (2020) | 36.4M (2020) | 11% |
| Tourism receipts | $11.4B (2020) | $31.6B (1998) | 36% |
| Health & education | |||
| Life expectancy | 84.0 years (2024) | 83.9 years (2024) | 1.0× |
| Infant mortality | 1.8‰ (2024) | 2.6‰ (2024) | 69% |
| Under-five mortality | 2.4‰ (2024) | 3.2‰ (2024) | 75% |
| DPT immunization | 99.0% (2024) | 94.0% (2024) | 1.1× |
| Hospital beds | 12.6 per 1,000 (2022) | 2.9 per 1,000 (2023) | 4.3× |
| Health spending share of GDP | 10.7% (2023) | 9.2% (2023) | 1.2× |
| Secondary school enrollment | 101.5% (2023) | 118.5% (2024) | 86% |
| Education spending share of GDP | 3.3% (2021) | 4.6% (2022) | 73% |
| Society & living | |||
| Human Development Index | 0.925 (2023) | 0.918 (2023) | 1.0× |
| Internet users | 85.5% (2024) | 95.8% (2024) | 89% |
| Mobile subscriptions | 178.4 per 100 (2023) | 130.3 per 100 (2024) | 1.4× |
| Fixed broadband | 38.6 per 100 (2023) | 39.2 per 100 (2024) | 98% |
| Electricity access | 100.0% (2024) | 100.0% (2024) | 1.0× |
| Environment & security | |||
| CO₂ emissions per capita | 7.8 t (2024) | 4.5 t (2024) | 1.7× |
| CO₂ emissions (total)derived | 972 Mt (2024) | 220 Mt (2024) | 4.4× |
| Renewable electricity share | 21.1% (2021) | 47.0% (2021) | 45% |
| Renewable energy consumption | 8.8% (2021) | 19.0% (2021) | 46% |
| Forest area | 68.4% (2023) | 37.2% (2023) | 1.8× |
| Agricultural land | 12.6% (2023) | 49.6% (2023) | 25% |
| Arable land | 11.1% (2023) | 23.0% (2023) | 48% |
| PM2.5 exposure | 11.5 µg/m³ (2023) | 10.1 µg/m³ (2023) | 1.1× |
| Military spending | 1.4% (2024) | 1.4% (2024) | 96% |
Population density is our own derived metric: latest population ÷ the equal-area surface area computed from Natural Earth boundaries — the same area basis as the true-size tool.
Japan
- Capital
- Tokyo
- Languages
- Japanese
- Currencies
- JPY
- Subregion
- Eastern Asia
Spain
- Capital
- Madrid
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currencies
- EUR
- Subregion
- Southern Europe
Japan vs Spain in five metrics
Full metric comparison
| Metric | Japan | Spain | A vs B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population & land | |||
| Population | 123.4M (2025) | 49.4M (2025) | 2.5× |
| Population growth | -0.5% (2025) | 1.0% (2025) | N/A |
| Urban population share | 92.3% (2025) | 80.5% (2025) | 1.1× |
| Population aged 65+ | 30.0% (2025) | 21.6% (2025) | 1.4× |
| Fertility rate | 1.2 (2024) | 1.1 (2024) | 1.0× |
| Birth rate | 5.7‰ (2024) | 6.5‰ (2024) | 88% |
| Death rate | 13.3‰ (2024) | 8.9‰ (2024) | 1.5× |
| Net migration | 140.6K (2025) | 96.6K (2025) | 1.5× |
| Surface area | 404,359 km² | 501,633 km² | 81% |
| Population density derived | 305/km² (2025) | 98.4/km² (2025) | 3.1× |
| Economy | |||
| GDP (total) | $4.4T (2025) | $1.9T (2025) | 2.3× |
| GDP per capita | $35,951 (2025) | $38,627 (2025) | 93% |
| GNI per capita | $38,340 (2025) | $37,120 (2025) | 1.0× |
| GDP growth (annual) | 1.2% (2025) | 2.8% (2025) | 42% |
| Inflation rate | 3.2% (2025) | 2.7% (2025) | 1.2× |
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% (2025) | 10.4% (2025) | 24% |
| Gini index | 32.3 (2020) | 33.4 (2023) | 97% |
| Poverty rate ($2.15/day) | 1.2% (2020) | 0.8% (2023) | 1.5× |
| Trade & industry | |||
| Exports share of GDP | 22.0% (2024) | 36.6% (2025) | 60% |
| Imports share of GDP | 22.9% (2024) | 32.8% (2025) | 70% |
| Agriculture share of GDP | 1.0% (2024) | 2.7% (2025) | 36% |
| Manufacturing share of GDP | 18.8% (2024) | 10.6% (2025) | 1.8× |
| International tourist arrivals | 4.1M (2020) | 36.4M (2020) | 11% |
| Tourism receipts | $11.4B (2020) | $31.6B (1998) | 36% |
| Health & education | |||
| Life expectancy | 84.0 years (2024) | 83.9 years (2024) | 1.0× |
| Infant mortality | 1.8‰ (2024) | 2.6‰ (2024) | 69% |
| Under-five mortality | 2.4‰ (2024) | 3.2‰ (2024) | 75% |
| DPT immunization | 99.0% (2024) | 94.0% (2024) | 1.1× |
| Hospital beds | 12.6 per 1,000 (2022) | 2.9 per 1,000 (2023) | 4.3× |
| Health spending share of GDP | 10.7% (2023) | 9.2% (2023) | 1.2× |
| Secondary school enrollment | 101.5% (2023) | 118.5% (2024) | 86% |
| Education spending share of GDP | 3.3% (2021) | 4.6% (2022) | 73% |
| Society & living | |||
| Human Development Index | 0.925 (2023) | 0.918 (2023) | 1.0× |
| Internet users | 85.5% (2024) | 95.8% (2024) | 89% |
| Mobile subscriptions | 178.4 per 100 (2023) | 130.3 per 100 (2024) | 1.4× |
| Fixed broadband | 38.6 per 100 (2023) | 39.2 per 100 (2024) | 98% |
| Electricity access | 100.0% (2024) | 100.0% (2024) | 1.0× |
| Environment & security | |||
| CO₂ emissions per capita | 7.8 t (2024) | 4.5 t (2024) | 1.7× |
| CO₂ emissions (total) derived | 972 Mt (2024) | 220 Mt (2024) | 4.4× |
| Renewable electricity share | 21.1% (2021) | 47.0% (2021) | 45% |
| Renewable energy consumption | 8.8% (2021) | 19.0% (2021) | 46% |
| Forest area | 68.4% (2023) | 37.2% (2023) | 1.8× |
| Agricultural land | 12.6% (2023) | 49.6% (2023) | 25% |
| Arable land | 11.1% (2023) | 23.0% (2023) | 48% |
| PM2.5 exposure | 11.5 µg/m³ (2023) | 10.1 µg/m³ (2023) | 1.1× |
| Military spending | 1.4% (2024) | 1.4% (2024) | 96% |
Population density is our own derived metric: latest population ÷ the equal-area surface area computed from Natural Earth boundaries — the same area basis as the true-size tool.
Reference facts
| Metric | Japan | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Tokyo | Madrid |
| Languages | Japanese | Spanish |
| Currencies | JPY | EUR |
| Subregion | Eastern Asia | Southern Europe |
Frequently asked questions
Which is bigger, Japan or Spain?
Japan's surface area is smaller: about 81% of Spain's (404,359 km² vs 501,633 km²).
Which has a larger population, Japan or Spain?
Japan's population is larger: about 2.5× Spain's (123.4M vs 49.4M).
Which economy is larger, Japan or Spain?
Japan's GDP (total) is larger: about 2.3× Spain's ($4.4T vs $1.9T).
Related tools and comparisons
Open the interactive compare tool with Japan and Spain preselected
See Japan and Spain's true size on a drag-and-drop map →
Distance between Japan and Spain →
Japan country profile: key metrics vs world median →
Spain country profile: key metrics vs world median →
More comparisons with Japan and Spain
Data & method
Indicators: World Bank Open Data, 43 indicators — CC BY 4.0 © World Bank — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/; Human Development Index — CC BY 3.0 IGO © United Nations Development Programme — https://hdr.undp.org/terms-use
Boundaries: Natural Earth 1:110m (public domain); surface areas are computed with an equal-area spherical formula (Chamberlin–Duquette).
Reference facts (capital, languages, currencies, subregion): mledoze/countries (ODbL).