Country comparison
Japan United Kingdom
How do Japan and United Kingdom compare on area, population, economy and living standards? Every figure below comes from open data, computed at build time.
Japan vs United Kingdom at a glance
- Japan's surface area is larger: about 1.6× United Kingdom's (404,359 km² vs 248,906 km²).
- Japan's population is larger: about 1.8× United Kingdom's (123.4M vs 69.5M).
- Japan's GDP (total) is larger: about 1.1× United Kingdom's ($4.4T vs $4T).
- Japan's GDP per capita is about 62% of United Kingdom's.
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JapanUnited Kingdom — Japan's GDP per capita is about 62% of United Kingdom's.
| Metric | Japan | United Kingdom | A vs B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population & land | |||
| Population | 123.4M (2025) | 69.5M (2025) | 1.8× |
| Population growth | -0.5% (2025) | 0.3% (2025) | N/A |
| Urban population share | 92.3% (2025) | 83.3% (2025) | 1.1× |
| Population aged 65+ | 30.0% (2025) | 19.7% (2025) | 1.5× |
| Fertility rate | 1.2 (2024) | 1.6 (2024) | 74% |
| Birth rate | 5.7‰ (2024) | 9.9‰ (2024) | 58% |
| Death rate | 13.3‰ (2024) | 9.7‰ (2024) | 1.4× |
| Net migration | 140.6K (2025) | 389.9K (2025) | 36% |
| Surface area | 404,359 km² | 248,906 km² | 1.6× |
| Population densityderived | 305/km² (2025) | 279/km² (2025) | 1.1× |
| Economy | |||
| GDP (total) | $4.4T (2025) | $4T (2025) | 1.1× |
| GDP per capita | $35,951 (2025) | $57,602 (2025) | 62% |
| GNI per capita | $38,340 (2025) | $54,550 (2025) | 70% |
| GDP growth (annual) | 1.2% (2025) | 1.4% (2025) | 86% |
| Inflation rate | 3.2% (2025) | 3.9% (2025) | 82% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% (2025) | 4.7% (2025) | 52% |
| Gini index | 32.3 (2020) | 32.4 (2021) | 100% |
| Poverty rate ($2.15/day) | 1.2% (2020) | 0.4% (2021) | 3.0× |
| Trade & industry | |||
| Exports share of GDP | 22.0% (2024) | 30.6% (2025) | 72% |
| Imports share of GDP | 22.9% (2024) | 31.9% (2025) | 72% |
| Agriculture share of GDP | 1.0% (2024) | 0.6% (2025) | 1.5× |
| Manufacturing share of GDP | 18.8% (2024) | 7.7% (2025) | 2.5× |
| International tourist arrivals | 4.1M (2020) | 11.1M (2020) | 37% |
| Tourism receipts | $11.4B (2020) | $31.7B (1998) | 36% |
| Health & education | |||
| Life expectancy | 84.0 years (2024) | 81.4 years (2024) | 1.0× |
| Infant mortality | 1.8‰ (2024) | 4.1‰ (2024) | 44% |
| Under-five mortality | 2.4‰ (2024) | 4.7‰ (2024) | 51% |
| DPT immunization | 99.0% (2024) | 92.0% (2024) | 1.1× |
| Hospital beds | 12.6 per 1,000 (2022) | 2.4 per 1,000 (2022) | 5.2× |
| Health spending share of GDP | 10.7% (2023) | 11.1% (2024) | 96% |
| Secondary school enrollment | 101.5% (2023) | 112.1% (2023) | 91% |
| Education spending share of GDP | 3.3% (2021) | 5.9% (2021) | 56% |
| Society & living | |||
| Human Development Index | 0.925 (2023) | 0.946 (2023) | 98% |
| Internet users | 85.5% (2024) | 95.5% (2024) | 90% |
| Mobile subscriptions | 178.4 per 100 (2023) | 121.6 per 100 (2024) | 1.5× |
| Fixed broadband | 38.6 per 100 (2023) | 42.2 per 100 (2024) | 92% |
| Electricity access | 100.0% (2024) | 100.0% (2024) | 1.0× |
| Environment & security | |||
| CO₂ emissions per capita | 7.8 t (2024) | 4.2 t (2024) | 1.9× |
| CO₂ emissions (total)derived | 972 Mt (2024) | 292 Mt (2024) | 3.3× |
| Renewable electricity share | 21.1% (2021) | 40.2% (2021) | 52% |
| Renewable energy consumption | 8.8% (2021) | 12.2% (2021) | 72% |
| Forest area | 68.4% (2023) | 13.3% (2023) | 5.1× |
| Agricultural land | 12.6% (2023) | 70.3% (2023) | 18% |
| Arable land | 11.1% (2023) | 25.0% (2023) | 44% |
| PM2.5 exposure | 11.5 µg/m³ (2023) | 9.5 µg/m³ (2023) | 1.2× |
| Military spending | 1.4% (2024) | 2.3% (2024) | 60% |
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
United Kingdom
- Capital
- London
- Languages
- English
- Currencies
- GBP
- Subregion
- Northern Europe
Japan vs United Kingdom in five metrics
Full metric comparison
| Metric | Japan | United Kingdom | A vs B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population & land | |||
| Population | 123.4M (2025) | 69.5M (2025) | 1.8× |
| Population growth | -0.5% (2025) | 0.3% (2025) | N/A |
| Urban population share | 92.3% (2025) | 83.3% (2025) | 1.1× |
| Population aged 65+ | 30.0% (2025) | 19.7% (2025) | 1.5× |
| Fertility rate | 1.2 (2024) | 1.6 (2024) | 74% |
| Birth rate | 5.7‰ (2024) | 9.9‰ (2024) | 58% |
| Death rate | 13.3‰ (2024) | 9.7‰ (2024) | 1.4× |
| Net migration | 140.6K (2025) | 389.9K (2025) | 36% |
| Surface area | 404,359 km² | 248,906 km² | 1.6× |
| Population density derived | 305/km² (2025) | 279/km² (2025) | 1.1× |
| Economy | |||
| GDP (total) | $4.4T (2025) | $4T (2025) | 1.1× |
| GDP per capita | $35,951 (2025) | $57,602 (2025) | 62% |
| GNI per capita | $38,340 (2025) | $54,550 (2025) | 70% |
| GDP growth (annual) | 1.2% (2025) | 1.4% (2025) | 86% |
| Inflation rate | 3.2% (2025) | 3.9% (2025) | 82% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% (2025) | 4.7% (2025) | 52% |
| Gini index | 32.3 (2020) | 32.4 (2021) | 100% |
| Poverty rate ($2.15/day) | 1.2% (2020) | 0.4% (2021) | 3.0× |
| Trade & industry | |||
| Exports share of GDP | 22.0% (2024) | 30.6% (2025) | 72% |
| Imports share of GDP | 22.9% (2024) | 31.9% (2025) | 72% |
| Agriculture share of GDP | 1.0% (2024) | 0.6% (2025) | 1.5× |
| Manufacturing share of GDP | 18.8% (2024) | 7.7% (2025) | 2.5× |
| International tourist arrivals | 4.1M (2020) | 11.1M (2020) | 37% |
| Tourism receipts | $11.4B (2020) | $31.7B (1998) | 36% |
| Health & education | |||
| Life expectancy | 84.0 years (2024) | 81.4 years (2024) | 1.0× |
| Infant mortality | 1.8‰ (2024) | 4.1‰ (2024) | 44% |
| Under-five mortality | 2.4‰ (2024) | 4.7‰ (2024) | 51% |
| DPT immunization | 99.0% (2024) | 92.0% (2024) | 1.1× |
| Hospital beds | 12.6 per 1,000 (2022) | 2.4 per 1,000 (2022) | 5.2× |
| Health spending share of GDP | 10.7% (2023) | 11.1% (2024) | 96% |
| Secondary school enrollment | 101.5% (2023) | 112.1% (2023) | 91% |
| Education spending share of GDP | 3.3% (2021) | 5.9% (2021) | 56% |
| Society & living | |||
| Human Development Index | 0.925 (2023) | 0.946 (2023) | 98% |
| Internet users | 85.5% (2024) | 95.5% (2024) | 90% |
| Mobile subscriptions | 178.4 per 100 (2023) | 121.6 per 100 (2024) | 1.5× |
| Fixed broadband | 38.6 per 100 (2023) | 42.2 per 100 (2024) | 92% |
| Electricity access | 100.0% (2024) | 100.0% (2024) | 1.0× |
| Environment & security | |||
| CO₂ emissions per capita | 7.8 t (2024) | 4.2 t (2024) | 1.9× |
| CO₂ emissions (total) derived | 972 Mt (2024) | 292 Mt (2024) | 3.3× |
| Renewable electricity share | 21.1% (2021) | 40.2% (2021) | 52% |
| Renewable energy consumption | 8.8% (2021) | 12.2% (2021) | 72% |
| Forest area | 68.4% (2023) | 13.3% (2023) | 5.1× |
| Agricultural land | 12.6% (2023) | 70.3% (2023) | 18% |
| Arable land | 11.1% (2023) | 25.0% (2023) | 44% |
| PM2.5 exposure | 11.5 µg/m³ (2023) | 9.5 µg/m³ (2023) | 1.2× |
| Military spending | 1.4% (2024) | 2.3% (2024) | 60% |
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 | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Tokyo | London |
| Languages | Japanese | English |
| Currencies | JPY | GBP |
| Subregion | Eastern Asia | Northern Europe |
Frequently asked questions
Which is bigger, Japan or United Kingdom?
Japan's surface area is larger: about 1.6× United Kingdom's (404,359 km² vs 248,906 km²).
Which has a larger population, Japan or United Kingdom?
Japan's population is larger: about 1.8× United Kingdom's (123.4M vs 69.5M).
Which economy is larger, Japan or United Kingdom?
Japan's GDP (total) is larger: about 1.1× United Kingdom's ($4.4T vs $4T).
Related tools and comparisons
Open the interactive compare tool with Japan and United Kingdom preselected
See Japan and United Kingdom's true size on a drag-and-drop map →
Distance between Japan and United Kingdom →
Japan country profile: key metrics vs world median →
United Kingdom country profile: key metrics vs world median →
More comparisons with Japan and United Kingdom
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).