Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan fits inside Brazil 23 times.
Brazil: 8,510,420 km² (2023) · Japan: 377,969 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 4 times as long as Brazil’s.
Brazil: 7,491 km (2026 edition) · Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 782 m above Brazil’s.
Brazil: 2,994 m (2026 edition) · Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Brazil has 73% more people than Japan.
Brazil: 213 million (2025) · Japan: 123 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 13 times as densely populated as Brazil.
Brazil: 25 per km² (2025) · Japan: 338 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Brazil are 3.7 cm taller than in Japan.
Brazil: 175.7 cm (2019) · Japan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Brazil are 3.9 cm taller than in Japan.
Brazil: 162.4 cm (2019) · Japan: 158.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 15 years older than in Brazil.
Brazil: 33.9 years (2023) · Japan: 49 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Brazil have 0.5 more children on average than in Japan.
Brazil: 1.61 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 11% in Brazil.
Brazil: 11.5% (2025) · Japan: 30% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Brazil 0.0.
Brazil: 0 (2025) · Japan: 2.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
Brazil and Japan are practically level.
Brazil: 1 (2026) · Japan: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 95% larger than Brazil’s.
Brazil: $2.28 trillion (2025) · Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 2.4 times as much per person as Brazil.
Brazil: Int$23,433 (2025) · Japan: Int$55,422 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Brazil than in Japan (Gini 18 points higher).
Brazil: 50.3 (2024) · Japan: 32.3 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Brazil, versus 2.5% in Japan.
Brazil: 6% (2025) · Japan: 2.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Japan and Brazil are practically level.
Brazil: 1% (2024) · Japan: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Brazil’s.
Brazil: 46% (2025) · Japan: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 3.6 times as much on health per person as Brazil.
Brazil: $1,010 (2023) · Japan: $3,638 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 8 years longer than in Brazil.
Brazil: 76 years (2024) · Japan: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Brazil is 6.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Brazil: 12.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 12% more doctors per person than Brazil.
Brazil: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Brazil are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Brazil: 30.9% (2024) · Japan: 5.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 12% in Brazil.
Brazil: 11.9% (2024) · Japan: 17.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Brazil rate their lives 0.50 points higher than in Japan.
Brazil: 6.63 (2025) · Japan: 6.13 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Brazil drink 66% more alcohol than in Japan.
Brazil: 10.4 litres (2023) · Japan: 6.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Brazil has 75% more meat per person than Japan.
Brazil: 104.6 kg (2023) · Japan: 59.9 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Brazil has 753 kcal more food per person per day than Japan.
Brazil: 3,423 kcal (2023) · Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Brazil put in 340 more hours a year than in Japan.
Brazil: 1,994 hours (2023) · Japan: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 4.3 years longer than in Brazil.
Brazil: 8.4 years (2023) · Japan: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 9.3 times as many tourists per resident as Brazil (2019).
Brazil: 0.03 (2024) · Japan: 0.3 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 84% in Brazil.
Brazil: 84% (2024) · Japan: 86% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and Brazil are practically level.
Brazil: 99.8% (2024) · Japan: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 88% in Brazil.
Brazil: 88% (2025) · Japan: 92% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Brazil 102.
Brazil: 102 (2024) · Japan: 178 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Brazil’s railway network is 49% longer than Japan’s.
Brazil: 29,850 km (2014) · Japan: 20,087 km (2011)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 2.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Brazil.
Brazil: 0.45 (2023) · Japan: 0.98 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 59% of Brazil.
Brazil: 59% (2023) · Japan: 68.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 3.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Brazil.
Brazil: 2.3 t (2024) · Japan: 7.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
87% of Brazil’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan.
Brazil: 86.6% (2025) · Japan: 23.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Brazil carries 46% more fine dust than in Japan.
Brazil: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 84 times as likely to be murdered in Brazil as in Japan.
Brazil: 19.3 per 100k (2023) · Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Brazil are 5.8 times as deadly as in Japan.
Brazil: 15.7 per 100k (2021) · Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Brazil is on average 12.5 °C warmer than Japan.
Brazil: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 10% more rain than Brazil.
Brazil: 1,661 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Brazil bigger than Japan?
Brazil is larger. Japan fits inside Brazil 23 times.
Which has more people, Brazil or Japan?
Brazil has 73% more people than Japan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Brazil or Japan?
People in Japan live 8 years longer than in Brazil. Life expectancy at birth is 76.0 years in Brazil and 84.0 in Japan.
Are people taller in Brazil or Japan?
Men in Brazil are 3.7 cm taller than in Japan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
