Japan vs Sweden

Sweden is 18% larger than Japan.

JapanSwedenJapan moved onto Sweden · Equal-area projection
0.84×
Japan is 0.84× the area of Sweden. Put the other way, Sweden is 1.18× the size of Japan.
JapanSweden
Area377,972 km²447,425 km²
Population123,366,73410,596,620
Density326 / km²24 / km²
CapitalTokyoStockholm
RegionEastern AsiaNorthern Europe
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours02

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; Sweden at 62° N is stretched to 4.65×. That difference is why Sweden 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 Sweden?
No. Japan is 16% smaller than Sweden. Japan covers 377,972 km² and Sweden covers 447,425 km².
How many times does Japan fit into Sweden?
About 1.2 times: Sweden has 1.18× the area of Japan.
Why do Japan and Sweden 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 Sweden about 4.65×. That is why Sweden 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 Sweden?
Japan: 123,366,734 people against 10,596,620. Density: Japan 326 per km², Sweden 24 per km².