Japan at its true size
Japan covers 377,974 km², number 62 of 194 countries by area. Home to 123,366,734 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 1.59× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 377,974 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 123,366,734 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 326 per km² |
| Capital | Tokyo |
| Local time in Tokyo | |
| Time zone | UTC+9 IANA |
| Currency | Japanese yen (JPY) Wikidata |
| Languages | Japanese |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Eastern Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | OECDG7G20 |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +81 |
| Codes | JP · JPN · 392 |
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Where Japan ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#12 of 194123 million people#6 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#26 of 194326 people per km²#12 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#15 of 19292% urban#6 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#182 of 1921.15 births per woman#44 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#179 of 192−0.49% a year#45 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#189 of 1925.7 births per 1,000 people#46 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#9 of 19213.3 deaths per 1,000 people#1 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#191 of 19211.2% under 15#46 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#2 of 19230.0% aged 65 and over#1 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#51 of 192+1.1 per 1,000 people#14 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#174 of 1900.00 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#45 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
- Life expectancy#8 of 19284.0 years#2 of 47 in Asia
- Infant mortality#187 of 1911.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#47 of 47 in Asia
- Doctors#70 of 1782.65 doctors per 1,000 people#16 of 46 in Asia
- University enrolment#53 of 14564.5% gross enrolment#9 of 42 in Asia
- Human Development Index#22 of 190an index of 0.925#4 of 46 in Asia
Economy
- GNI per capita#28 of 185$38,340 a person#6 of 45 in Asia
- Internet users#76 of 18486% online#22 of 43 in Asia
- GDP per capita (PPP)#38 of 184$55,422 a person#11 of 45 in Asia
- GDP growth#151 of 187+1.2% a year#38 of 45 in Asia
- Inflation#86 of 176+3.2% a year#18 of 42 in Asia
- Unemployment#156 of 1782.5% of the labour force#37 of 47 in Asia
- Extreme poverty#81 of 1491.2% under $3.00 a day#18 of 33 in Asia
- Income inequality (Gini)#100 of 149a Gini index of 32.3#19 of 33 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#148 of 1782.8% of jobs#38 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#53 of 17823.2% of jobs#22 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#33 of 17874.0% of jobs#8 of 47 in Asia
- Foreign investment#126 of 1841.0% of GDP#27 of 44 in Asia
- Exports#126 of 16822.0% of GDP#31 of 42 in Asia
- Military spending#91 of 1551.4% of GDP#29 of 38 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#8 of 191178 subscriptions per 100 people#2 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#25 of 1857.84 tonnes a person#16 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#17 of 19268% forest#4 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#149 of 1908.8% renewable#25 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#142 of 19111.5 µg/m³#45 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#34 of 19129.7% of the land protected#7 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#93 of 19011.0% of the land arable#23 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#46 of 17636.6% of its available fresh water#27 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#47 of 1801,668 mm a year#14 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Japan’s area, lit up on the map →
How many times does Japan fit into…
- Russia: about 45 times
- Canada: about 26 times
- United States: about 26 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Japan shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Ishikari268 km
Summits
- Mount Fuji3,777 m
- Mount Tate3,015 m
- Asahi-dake2,291 m
- Mount Iwate2,038 m
- Mount Ishizuchi1,982 m
Lakes
- Biwa Ko669 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Japan. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Questions about Japan
- How big is Japan?
- Japan covers 377,974 km², which makes it number 62 of 194 countries by area. About 123,366,734 people live there (2025), 326 per km².
- Is Japan bigger than Norway?
- Japan and Norway are almost exactly the same size. Japan: 377,974 km²; Norway: 385,207 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Japan?
- At about 37° latitude, Mercator stretches Japan to roughly 1.59× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Does Japan have land borders?
- No. Japan has no land neighbours; every border is a coastline.