Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Greece fits inside Japan 2.9 times
Greece: 131,960 km² (2024) · Japan: 377,975 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 2.2 times as long as Greece’s
Greece: 13,676 km (2026 edition) · Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 859 m above Greece’s
Greece: 2,917 m (2026 edition) · Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 39% of Greece, versus 13% of Japan
Greece: 38.9% (2024) · Japan: 12.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 12 times as many people as Greece
Greece: 10.4 million (2025) · Japan: 123 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 4.2 times as densely populated as Greece
Greece: 81 per km² (2025) · Japan: 338 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Greece are 7.2 cm taller than in Japan
Greece: 179.3 cm (2019) · Japan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Greece are 7.3 cm taller than in Japan
Greece: 165.8 cm (2019) · Japan: 158.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 3.2 years older than in Greece
Greece: 45.7 years (2023) · Japan: 49 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Greece have 0.1 more children on average than in Japan
Greece: 1.24 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 24% in Greece
Greece: 24.4% (2025) · Japan: 30% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Greece hosts 38 times as many refugees per resident as Japan
Greece: 12.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Japan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Greece 1.0
Greece: 1 (2026) · Japan: 2.5 (2026)
How many official languages?
Greece and Japan are practically level
Greece: 1 (2026) · Japan: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 16 times the size of Greece’s
Greece: $281 billion (2025) · Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 22% more per person than Greece
Greece: Int$45,264 (2025) · Japan: Int$55,422 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Greece than in Japan (Gini 1.1 points higher)
Greece: 33.4 (2023) · Japan: 32.3 (2020)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.2% of people in Japan live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.6% in Greece
Greece: 0.6% (2023) · Japan: 1.2% (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.5% in Greece, versus 2.5% in Japan
Greece: 8.5% (2025) · Japan: 2.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Greece spends 3.0% of its GDP on the military, Japan 1.4%
Greece: 3% (2025) · Japan: 1.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Greece: 27.4% (2024) · Japan: no data
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Greece’s
Greece: 60% (2025) · Japan: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 85% more on health per person than Greece
Greece: $1,963 (2023) · Japan: $3,638 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 2.2 years longer than in Greece
Greece: 81.8 years (2024) · Japan: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Greece is 78% more likely to die before turning one than in Japan
Greece: 3.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Greece has 2.5 times as many doctors per person as Japan
Greece: 6.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Japan has 2.9 times as many hospital beds per person as Greece
Greece: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Japan: 12.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Japan is 3.7 times that in Greece
Greece: 3.9 per 100k (2023) · Japan: 14.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
34% of adults in Greece are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan
Greece: 33.7% (2024) · Japan: 5.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Greece smoke, versus 18% in Japan
Greece: 30.2% (2024) · Japan: 17.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 0.43 points higher than in Greece
Greece: 5.70 (2025) · Japan: 6.13 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Greece drink 37% more alcohol than in Japan
Greece: 8.6 litres (2023) · Japan: 6.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Greece has 37% more meat per person than Japan
Greece: 82 kg (2023) · Japan: 59.9 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Greece has 712 kcal more food per person per day than Japan
Greece: 3,382 kcal (2023) · Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Greece put in 239 more hours a year than in Japan
Greece: 1,893 hours (2023) · Japan: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 1.1 years longer than in Greece
Greece: 11.6 years (2023) · Japan: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Greece welcomed 9 times as many tourists per resident as Japan (2019)
Greece: 2.67 (2022) · Japan: 0.3 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Japan has 6 more World Heritage sites than Greece (27 against 21)
Greece: 21 (2026) · Japan: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Japan has won 642 Olympic medals, Greece 129
Greece: 129 (2026 edition) · Japan: 642 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Greece are online, versus 86% in Japan
Greece: 86% (2024) · Japan: 86% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Japan is 73% faster than in Greece
Greece: 186 Mbps (2026) · Japan: 322 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Greece and Japan are practically level
Greece: 100% (2024) · Japan: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 79% in Greece
Greece: 79% (2025) · Japan: 92% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Greece 114
Greece: 114 (2024) · Japan: 178 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 8.6 times as long as Greece’s
Greece: 2,339 km (2021) · Japan: 20,087 km (2011)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Greece fly 88% more passengers per resident than those from Japan
Greece: 1.83 (2023) · Japan: 0.98 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 37% of Greece
Greece: 36.9% (2024) · Japan: 68.3% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 46% more CO₂ than someone in Greece
Greece: 5.3 t (2024) · Japan: 7.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
50% of Greece’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan
Greece: 49.7% (2025) · Japan: 23.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Greece carries 44% more fine dust than in Japan
Greece: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.7 times as likely to be murdered in Greece as in Japan
Greece: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Greece are 2.8 times as deadly as in Japan
Greece: 10.8 per 100k (2023) · Japan: 3.8 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Greece is on average 3.0 °C warmer than Japan
Greece: 15.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 2.3 times as much rain as Greece
Greece: 800 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Greece bigger than Japan?
Japan is larger. Greece fits inside Japan 2.9 times.
Which has more people, Greece or Japan?
Japan has 12 times as many people as Greece (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Greece or Japan?
People in Japan live 2.2 years longer than in Greece. Life expectancy at birth is 81.8 years in Greece and 84.0 in Japan.
Are people taller in Greece or Japan?
Men in Greece are 7.2 cm taller than in Japan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
