Japan vs Russia
Russia is 45.2 times larger than Japan. Japan would fit into Russia about 45 times.
JapanRussiaJapan moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.02×
Japan is 0.02× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 45.2× the size of Japan.
 Japan |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 45.2× the area | 377,974 km²#62 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 1.16× the population | 123,366,734#12 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityJapan: 38.8× the density | 326 / km²#26 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationJapan: 1.23× the urban share | 92%#15 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateRussia: 1.23× the births per woman | 1.15 per woman#182 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthRussia: 0.38 points higher | −0.49%#179 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateRussia: 1.47× the birth rate | 5.7 per 1,000#189 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateJapan: 1.07× the death rate | 13.3 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Russia: 5.8 points higher | 11.2%#191 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Japan: 12.2 points higher | 30.0%#2 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationJapan: 2.9 per 1,000 higher | +1.1 per 1,000#51 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyJapan: 10.6 years longer | 84.0 years#8 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityRussia: 2.28× the infant mortality | 1.8 per 1,000 births#187 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 1.93× the doctors per person | 2.65 per 1,000#70 of 178 · 2022 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentJapan: 1.07× the university enrolment | 64.5%#53 of 145 · 2023 | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexJapan: 0.093 higher | 0.925#22 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaJapan: 2.4× the income per person | $38,340#28 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPJapan: 1.73× the economy | $4.44T2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Japan: 1.12× the output per person | $55,422#38 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthJapan: 0.2 points higher | +1.2%#151 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRussia: 5.5 points higher | +3.2%#86 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentJapan: 1.19× the unemployment | 2.5%#156 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyJapan: 12.0× the share in extreme poverty | 1.2%#81 of 149 · 2020 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Russia: 0.7 higher | 32.3#100 of 149 · 2020 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureRussia: 2.3 points higher | 2.8% of jobs#148 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRussia: 2.6 points higher | 23.2% of jobs#53 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesJapan: 4.9 points higher | 74.0% of jobs#33 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentJapan: 0.6 points higher | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsJapan: 3.8 points higher | 22.0% of GDP#126 of 168 · 2024 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 5.32× the military spending | 1.4% of GDP#91 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRussia: 1.1× the share online | 86%#76 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 1.04× the mobile subscriptions | 178 per 100#8 of 191 · 2023 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaJapan: 1.34× the forest share | 68% of land#17 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 1.78× the CO₂ per person | 7.84 t a year#25 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyJapan: 5.3 points higher | 8.8%#149 of 190 · 2021 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)About the same air pollution | 11.5 µg/m³#142 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landJapan: 18.2 points higher | 29.7% of land#34 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landJapan: 3.6 points higher | 11.0% of land#93 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressJapan: 8.93× the water stress | 36.6%#46 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationJapan: 3.63× the rain and snow | 1,668 mm#47 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityJapan: 2.20 higher | +1.26#15 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionJapan: 2.43 higher | +1.45#20 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateRussia: 34× the homicide rate | 0.2 per 100,000#141 of 146 · 2023 | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | OECD, G7, G20 | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Tokyo | Moscow |
| Currency | Japanese yen (JPY) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | Japanese | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +81 | +7 |
| Region | Eastern Asia, Asia | Eastern Europe, Europe |
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. Japan sits at about 37° N and is stretched to 1.59× its true area; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia 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 Japan bigger than Russia?
- No. Japan is 45.2 times smaller than Russia. Japan covers 377,974 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Japan fit into Russia?
- About 45 times: Russia has 45.2× the area of Japan.
- Why do Japan and Russia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Japan is drawn about 1.59× its true area there and Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia 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, Japan or Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 123,366,734. Density: Japan 326 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Japan or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Japan: $38,340 against $15,960 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.4× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Japan or Russia?
- In Japan: life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years, against 73.4 — 10.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Japan and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Japan: constitutional monarchy; Russia: semi-presidential republic.