Germany vs Japan
Japan is 6% larger than Germany.
GermanyJapanGermany moved onto Japan · Equal-area projection
0.95×
Germany is 0.95× the area of Japan. Put the other way, Japan is 1.06× the size of Germany.
 Germany |  Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaJapan: 1.06× the area | 357,588 km²#63 of 194 | 377,974 km²#62 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 9 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationJapan: 1.48× the population | 83,491,249#19 of 194 · 2025 | 123,366,734#12 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityJapan: 1.4× the density | 233 / km²#44 of 194 | 326 / km²#26 of 194 |
| Urban populationJapan: 1.12× the urban share | 82%#37 of 192 · 2025 | 92%#15 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGermany: 1.18× the births per woman | 1.36 per woman#164 of 192 · 2024 | 1.15 per woman#182 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGermany: 0.46 points higher | −0.03%#156 of 192 · 2025 | −0.49%#179 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGermany: 1.42× the birth rate | 8.1 per 1,000#169 of 192 · 2024 | 5.7 per 1,000#189 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateJapan: 1.1× the death rate | 12.1 per 1,000#16 of 192 · 2024 | 13.3 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Germany: 2.7 points higher | 13.9%#178 of 192 · 2025 | 11.2%#191 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Japan: 6.3 points higher | 23.7%#7 of 192 · 2025 | 30.0%#2 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationJapan: 5.1 per 1,000 higher | −4.0 per 1,000#169 of 192 · 2025 | +1.1 per 1,000#51 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyJapan: 3.2 years longer | 80.8 years#39 of 192 · 2024 | 84.0 years#8 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityGermany: 1.72× the infant mortality | 3.1 per 1,000 births#164 of 191 · 2024 | 1.8 per 1,000 births#187 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsGermany: 1.71× the doctors per person | 4.53 per 1,000#15 of 178 · 2022 | 2.65 per 1,000#70 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentGermany: 1.19× the university enrolment | 76.7%#34 of 145 · 2024 | 64.5%#53 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexGermany: 0.034 higher | 0.959#5 of 190 · 2023 | 0.925#22 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaGermany: 1.57× the income per person | $60,200#14 of 185 · 2025 | $38,340#28 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGermany: 1.14× the economy | $5.05T2025 | $4.44T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Germany: 1.36× the output per person | $75,407#17 of 184 · 2025 | $55,422#38 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthJapan: 1.0 points higher | +0.2%#172 of 187 · 2025 | +1.2%#151 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationJapan: 1.0 points higher | +2.2%#113 of 176 · 2025 | +3.2%#86 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentGermany: 1.48× the unemployment | 3.7%#118 of 178 · 2025 | 2.5%#156 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyJapan: 1.71× the share in extreme poverty | 0.7%#98 of 149 · 2022 | 1.2%#81 of 149 · 2020 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Germany: 1.4 higher | 33.7#84 of 149 · 2022 | 32.3#100 of 149 · 2020 |
| Jobs in agricultureJapan: 1.7 points higher | 1.1% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 2.8% of jobs#148 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGermany: 2.8 points higher | 26.0% of jobs#35 of 178 · 2025 | 23.2% of jobs#53 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesJapan: 1.0 points higher | 73.0% of jobs#38 of 178 · 2025 | 74.0% of jobs#33 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGermany: 0.9 points higher | 1.9% of GDP#96 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsGermany: 18.4 points higher | 40.4% of GDP#70 of 168 · 2025 | 22.0% of GDP#126 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingGermany: 1.61× the military spending | 2.3% of GDP#50 of 155 · 2025 | 1.4% of GDP#91 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersGermany: 1.09× the share online | 94%#36 of 184 · 2024 | 86%#76 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsJapan: 1.38× the mobile subscriptions | 129 per 100#54 of 191 · 2024 | 178 per 100#8 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaJapan: 2.08× the forest share | 33% of land#97 of 192 · 2024 | 68% of land#17 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personJapan: 1.13× the CO₂ per person | 6.94 t a year#32 of 185 · 2024 | 7.84 t a year#25 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGermany: 8.8 points higher | 17.6%#115 of 190 · 2021 | 8.8%#149 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Japan: 1.31× the air pollution | 8.8 µg/m³#162 of 191 · 2023 | 11.5 µg/m³#142 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landGermany: 9.5 points higher | 39.2% of land#14 of 191 · 2025 | 29.7% of land#34 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landGermany: 22.4 points higher | 33.4% of land#21 of 190 · 2024 | 11.0% of land#93 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressJapan: 1.03× the water stress | 35.4%#47 of 176 · 2022 | 36.6%#46 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationJapan: 2.38× the rain and snow | 700 mm#113 of 180 · 2022 | 1,668 mm#47 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityJapan: 1.05 higher | +0.21#85 of 193 · 2025 | +1.26#15 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionGermany: 0.23 higher | +1.68#13 of 193 · 2025 | +1.45#20 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateGermany: 4.5× the homicide rate | 0.9 per 100,000#110 of 146 · 2023 | 0.2 per 100,000#141 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD, G7, G20 | OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Berlin | Tokyo |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Japanese yen (JPY) |
| Official languages | German | Japanese |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+9 |
| Calling code | +49 | +81 |
| Region | Western Europe, Europe | 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. Germany sits at about 51° N and is stretched to 2.53× its true area; Japan at 37° N is stretched to 1.59×. That difference is why Germany looks so much bigger than it is next to Japan. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Germany bigger than Japan?
- No. Germany is 5% smaller than Japan. Germany covers 357,588 km² and Japan covers 377,974 km².
- How many times does Germany fit into Japan?
- About 1.1 times: Japan has 1.06× the area of Germany.
- Why do Germany and Japan look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Germany is drawn about 2.53× its true area there and Japan about 1.59×. That is why Germany looks so much bigger than it really is next to Japan. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Germany or Japan?
- Japan: 123,366,734 people against 83,491,249. Density: Germany 233 per km², Japan 326 per km².
- Which is richer, Germany or Japan?
- By gross national income per person, Germany: $60,200 against $38,340 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.57× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Germany or Japan?
- In Japan: life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years, against 80.8 — 3.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Germany and Japan have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Germany: parliamentary republic; Japan: constitutional monarchy.