Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Bangladesh fits inside Japan 2.6 times.
Bangladesh: 147,570 km² (2023) · Japan: 377,969 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 51 times as long as Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 580 km (2026 edition) · Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 2,716 m above Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 1,060 m (2026 edition) · Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Bangladesh has 42% more people than Japan.
Bangladesh: 176 million (2025) · Japan: 123 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Bangladesh is 4 times as densely populated as Japan.
Bangladesh: 1,352 per km² (2025) · Japan: 338 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Japan are 7.0 cm taller than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 165.1 cm (2019) · Japan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Japan are 6.1 cm taller than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 152.4 cm (2019) · Japan: 158.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 24 years older than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 25.3 years (2023) · Japan: 49 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Bangladesh have 1.0 more children on average than in Japan.
Bangladesh: 2.14 children per woman (2024) · Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 6.7% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 6.7% (2025) · Japan: 30% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Bangladesh 0.1.
Bangladesh: 0.1 (2025) · Japan: 2.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
Bangladesh and Japan are practically level.
Bangladesh: 1 (2026) · Japan: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 9.7 times the size of Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: $456 billion (2025) · Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 5.5 times as much per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: Int$10,154 (2025) · Japan: Int$55,422 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Japan than in Bangladesh (Gini 1.4 points higher).
Bangladesh: 30.9 (2022) · Japan: 32.3 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Bangladesh, versus 2.5% in Japan.
Bangladesh: 3.8% (2025) · Japan: 2.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Japan and Bangladesh are practically level.
Bangladesh: 0.9% (2024) · Japan: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 2.5× Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 26% (2025) · Japan: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 68 times as much on health per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: $53 (2023) · Japan: $3,638 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 9.1 years longer than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 74.9 years (2024) · Japan: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Bangladesh is 14 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Bangladesh: 24.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 3.7 times as many doctors per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.7 per 1,000 (2023) · Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
5.7% of adults in Bangladesh are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Bangladesh: 5.7% (2024) · Japan: 5.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
32% of adults in Bangladesh smoke, versus 18% in Japan.
Bangladesh: 32% (2024) · Japan: 17.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 1.81 points higher than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 4.32 (2025) · Japan: 6.13 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 2,149 times as much alcohol as in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.0029 litres (2023) · Japan: 6.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 13 times as much meat per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 4.5 kg (2023) · Japan: 59.9 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Japan has 82 kcal more food per person per day than Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2,588 kcal (2023) · Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Bangladesh put in 729 more hours a year than in Japan.
Bangladesh: 2,383 hours (2023) · Japan: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 5.9 years longer than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 6.8 years (2023) · Japan: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 152 times as many tourists per resident as Bangladesh (2019).
Bangladesh: 0 (2019) · Japan: 0.3 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 53% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 53% (2024) · Japan: 86% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Japan have electricity, versus 100% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 99.5% (2024) · Japan: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 33% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 33% (2025) · Japan: 92% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Bangladesh 108.
Bangladesh: 108 (2024) · Japan: 178 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 7 times as long as Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 2,877 km (2019) · Japan: 20,087 km (2011)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 26 times as many passengers per resident as those from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.04 (2023) · Japan: 0.98 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 14% of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 14.5% (2023) · Japan: 68.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 12 times as much CO₂ as someone in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.6 t (2024) · Japan: 7.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of Japan’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.1% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2.1% (2025) · Japan: 23.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Bangladesh carries 6.2 times as much fine dust as in Japan.
Bangladesh: 65 µg/m³ (2024) · Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 10 times as likely to be murdered in Bangladesh as in Japan.
Bangladesh: 2.3 per 100k (2018) · Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Bangladesh are 6.9 times as deadly as in Japan.
Bangladesh: 18.6 per 100k (2021) · Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Bangladesh is on average 13.0 °C warmer than Japan.
Bangladesh: 25.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Bangladesh gets 15% more rain than Japan.
Bangladesh: 2,096 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Bangladesh bigger than Japan?
Japan is larger. Bangladesh fits inside Japan 2.6 times.
Which has more people, Bangladesh or Japan?
Bangladesh has 42% more people than Japan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bangladesh or Japan?
People in Japan live 9.1 years longer than in Bangladesh. Life expectancy at birth is 74.9 years in Bangladesh and 84.0 in Japan.
Are people taller in Bangladesh or Japan?
Men in Japan are 7.0 cm taller than in Bangladesh (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
