Congo vs Japan
Japan is 11% larger than Congo.
CongoJapanCongo moved onto Japan · Equal-area projection
0.9×
Congo is 0.9× the area of Japan. Put the other way, Japan is 1.11× the size of Congo.
 Congo |  Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaJapan: 1.11× the area | 342,000 km²#65 of 194 | 377,974 km²#62 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationJapan: 19× the population | 6,484,437#110 of 194 · 2025 | 123,366,734#12 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityJapan: 17.2× the density | 19 / km²#169 of 194 | 326 / km²#26 of 194 |
| Urban populationJapan: 1.44× the urban share | 64%#92 of 192 · 2025 | 92%#15 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCongo: 3.57× the births per woman | 4.11 per woman#23 of 192 · 2024 | 1.15 per woman#182 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCongo: 2.85 points higher | +2.36%#31 of 192 · 2025 | −0.49%#179 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCongo: 5.33× the birth rate | 30.4 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2024 | 5.7 per 1,000#189 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateJapan: 2.15× the death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | 13.3 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Congo: 28.7 points higher | 39.9%#26 of 192 · 2025 | 11.2%#191 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Japan: 26.9 points higher | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 | 30.0%#2 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationJapan: 1.6 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | +1.1 per 1,000#51 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 2.03 per 1,000#42 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyJapan: 18.0 years longer | 66.0 years#163 of 192 · 2024 | 84.0 years#8 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCongo: 15× the infant mortality | 27.0 per 1,000 births#54 of 191 · 2024 | 1.8 per 1,000 births#187 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsJapan: 15.6× the doctors per person | 0.17 per 1,000#155 of 178 · 2022 | 2.65 per 1,000#70 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentJapan: 6.2× the university enrolment | 10.4%#130 of 145 · 2023 | 64.5%#53 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexJapan: 0.276 higher | 0.649#135 of 190 · 2023 | 0.925#22 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaJapan: 16.8× the income per person | $2,280#144 of 185 · 2025 | $38,340#28 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPJapan: 272× the economy | $16.31B2025 | $4.44T2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Japan: 7.65× the output per person | $7,248#140 of 184 · 2025 | $55,422#38 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCongo: 1.9 points higher | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 | +1.2%#151 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationJapan: 0.8 points higher | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 | +3.2%#86 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentCongo: 7.96× the unemployment | 19.9%#6 of 178 · 2025 | 2.5%#156 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 1.2%#81 of 149 · 2020 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 32.3#100 of 149 · 2020 |
| Jobs in agricultureCongo: 33.6 points higher | 36.4% of jobs#44 of 178 · 2025 | 2.8% of jobs#148 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryJapan: 3.7 points higher | 19.5% of jobs#84 of 178 · 2025 | 23.2% of jobs#53 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesJapan: 29.8 points higher | 44.2% of jobs#138 of 178 · 2025 | 74.0% of jobs#33 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCongo: 2.7 points higher | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsCongo: 26.0 points higher | 48.0% of GDP#49 of 168 · 2025 | 22.0% of GDP#126 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingJapan: 1.08× the military spending | 1.3% of GDP#97 of 155 · 2025 | 1.4% of GDP#91 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersJapan: 1.81× the share online | 47%#146 of 184 · 2024 | 86%#76 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsJapan: 1.85× the mobile subscriptions | 96 per 100#135 of 191 · 2024 | 178 per 100#8 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaJapan: 1.07× the forest share | 64% of land#21 of 192 · 2024 | 68% of land#17 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personJapan: 5.85× the CO₂ per person | 1.34 t a year#118 of 185 · 2024 | 7.84 t a year#25 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCongo: 62.6 points higher | 71.4%#26 of 190 · 2021 | 8.8%#149 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityJapan: 47.0 points higher | 53.0%#175 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Congo: 3.17× the air pollution | 36.5 µg/m³#29 of 191 · 2023 | 11.5 µg/m³#142 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCongo: 6.9 points higher | 36.6% of land#21 of 191 · 2025 | 29.7% of land#34 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landJapan: 9.4 points higher | 1.6% of land#167 of 190 · 2024 | 11.0% of land#93 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | 0.0%#176 of 176 · 2022 | 36.6%#46 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAbout the same rain and snow | 1,646 mm#49 of 180 · 2022 | 1,668 mm#47 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityJapan: 1.75 higher | −0.49#138 of 193 · 2025 | +1.26#15 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionJapan: 2.87 higher | −1.42#180 of 193 · 2025 | +1.45#20 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 0.2 per 100,000#141 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Member of | OPEC | OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Brazzaville | Tokyo |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Japanese yen (JPY) |
| Official languages | French | Japanese |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+9 |
| Calling code | +242 | +81 |
| Region | Middle Africa, Africa | Eastern Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Congo sits at about 1° S and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Japan at 37° N is stretched to 1.59×. That difference is why Japan looks so much bigger than it is next to Congo. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Congo bigger than Japan?
- No. Congo is 10% smaller than Japan. Congo covers 342,000 km² and Japan covers 377,974 km².
- How many times does Congo fit into Japan?
- About 1.1 times: Japan has 1.11× the area of Congo.
- Why do Congo and Japan look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Congo is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Japan about 1.59×. That is why Japan looks so much bigger than it really is next to Congo. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Congo or Japan?
- Japan: 123,366,734 people against 6,484,437. Density: Congo 19 per km², Japan 326 per km².
- Which is richer, Congo or Japan?
- By gross national income per person, Japan: $38,340 against $2,280 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 16.8× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Congo or Japan?
- In Japan: life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years, against 66.0 — 18.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Congo and Japan have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Congo: presidential republic; Japan: constitutional monarchy.