Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan fits inside Colombia 3 times.
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2023) · Japan: 377,969 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 9.3 times as long as Colombia’s.
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Colombia’s highest peak towers 1,954 m above Japan’s.
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 2.3 times as many people as Colombia.
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · Japan: 123 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 7 times as densely populated as Colombia.
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · Japan: 338 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Japan and Colombia are practically level.
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · Japan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Japan and Colombia are practically level.
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · Japan: 158.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 17 years older than in Colombia.
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · Japan: 49 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Colombia have 0.5 more children on average than in Japan.
Colombia: 1.63 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 10% in Colombia.
Colombia: 10.2% (2025) · Japan: 30% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Colombia 0.4.
Colombia: 0.4 (2025) · Japan: 2.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
Colombia and Japan are practically level.
Colombia: 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 Colombia’s.
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 2.4 times as much per person as Colombia.
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · Japan: Int$55,422 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in Japan (Gini 22.1 points higher).
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · Japan: 32.3 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Colombia, versus 2.5% in Japan.
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · Japan: 2.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Japan 1.4%.
Colombia: 3.4% (2024) · Japan: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Colombia’s.
Colombia: 38% (2025) · Japan: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 5.6 times as much on health per person as Colombia.
Colombia: $644 (2024) · Japan: $3,638 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 6.1 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · Japan: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Colombia is 5.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 4% more doctors per person than Colombia.
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
25% of adults in Colombia are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · Japan: 5.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia.
Colombia: 8% (2024) · Japan: 17.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 0.09 points higher than in Colombia.
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · Japan: 6.13 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 29% more alcohol than in Colombia.
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · Japan: 6.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Colombia has 4% more meat per person than Japan.
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · Japan: 59.9 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Colombia has 456 kcal more food per person per day than Japan.
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 817 more hours a year than in Japan.
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · Japan: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 3.7 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · Japan: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 3.4 times as many tourists per resident as Colombia (2019).
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · Japan: 0.3 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2024) · Japan: 86% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Japan have electricity, versus 99% in Colombia.
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · Japan: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2025) · Japan: 92% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Colombia 174.
Colombia: 174 (2024) · Japan: 178 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 9.4 times as long as Colombia’s.
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · Japan: 20,087 km (2011)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 23% more passengers per resident than those from Colombia.
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · Japan: 0.98 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 53% of Colombia.
Colombia: 52.8% (2023) · Japan: 68.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 4.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · Japan: 7.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan.
Colombia: 77% (2025) · Japan: 23.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Colombia carries 44% more fine dust than in Japan.
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 109 times as likely to be murdered in Colombia as in Japan.
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Colombia are 6 times as deadly as in Japan.
Colombia: 16.2 per 100k (2021) · Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia is on average 11.6 °C warmer than Japan.
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 73% more rain than Japan.
Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Colombia bigger than Japan?
Colombia is larger. Japan fits inside Colombia 3 times.
Which has more people, Colombia or Japan?
Japan has 2.3 times as many people as Colombia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or Japan?
People in Japan live 6.1 years longer than in Colombia. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 84.0 in Japan.
Are people taller in Colombia or Japan?
Japan and Colombia are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
