Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan fits inside India 8.7 times.
India: 3,287,260 km² (2023) · Japan: 377,969 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 4.3 times as long as India’s.
India: 7,000 km (2026 edition) · Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
India’s highest peak towers 4,810 m above Japan’s.
India: 8,586 m (2026 edition) · Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
India has 12 times as many people as Japan.
India: 1.46 billion (2025) · Japan: 123 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
India is 45% more densely populated than Japan.
India: 492 per km² (2025) · Japan: 338 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Japan are 5.6 cm taller than in India.
India: 166.5 cm (2019) · Japan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Japan are 3.3 cm taller than in India.
India: 155.2 cm (2019) · Japan: 158.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 21 years older than in India.
India: 28.1 years (2023) · Japan: 49 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in India have 0.8 more children on average than in Japan.
India: 1.96 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 7.4% in India.
India: 7.4% (2025) · Japan: 30% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, India 0.1.
India: 0.1 (2025) · Japan: 2.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
India has 3 official languages, Japan 1.
India: 3 (2026) · Japan: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 12% larger than India’s.
India: $3.96 trillion (2025) · Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 4.7 times as much per person as India.
India: Int$11,748 (2025) · Japan: Int$55,422 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Japan than in India (Gini 6.8 points higher).
India: 25.5 (2022) · Japan: 32.3 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in India, versus 2.5% in Japan.
India: 4.2% (2025) · Japan: 2.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
India spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Japan 1.4%.
India: 2.3% (2024) · Japan: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 2.8× India’s.
India: 23% (2025) · Japan: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 43 times as much on health per person as India.
India: $85 (2023) · Japan: $3,638 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 12 years longer than in India.
India: 72.2 years (2024) · Japan: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in India is 13 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
India: 23.3 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 India.
India: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
8.0% of adults in India are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
India: 8% (2024) · Japan: 5.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in India smoke, versus 18% in Japan.
India: 22.6% (2024) · Japan: 17.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 1.59 points higher than in India.
India: 4.54 (2025) · Japan: 6.13 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 19% more alcohol than in India.
India: 5.2 litres (2023) · Japan: 6.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 7.4 times as much meat per person as India.
India: 8.1 kg (2023) · Japan: 59.9 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Japan and India are practically level.
India: 2,669 kcal (2023) · Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in India put in 729 more hours a year than in Japan.
India: 2,383 hours (2023) · Japan: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 5.8 years longer than in India.
India: 6.9 years (2023) · Japan: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 44 times as many tourists per resident as India (2019).
India: 0.01 (2024) · Japan: 0.3 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 70% in India.
India: 70% (2025) · Japan: 86% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and India are practically level.
India: 99.9% (2024) · Japan: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 36% in India.
India: 36% (2025) · Japan: 92% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, India 79.
India: 79 (2024) · Japan: 178 (2023)
How much railway is there?
India’s railway network is 3.4 times as long as Japan’s.
India: 68,103 km (2021) · Japan: 20,087 km (2011)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 7.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from India.
India: 0.12 (2023) · Japan: 0.98 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 25% of India.
India: 24.5% (2023) · Japan: 68.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 3.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in India.
India: 2.2 t (2024) · Japan: 7.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
India and Japan are practically level.
India: 24.1% (2025) · Japan: 23.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in India carries 4.2 times as much fine dust as in Japan.
India: 44.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 12 times as likely to be murdered in India as in Japan.
India: 2.8 per 100k (2022) · Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in India are 5.4 times as deadly as in Japan.
India: 14.6 per 100k (2021) · Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
India is on average 11.7 °C warmer than Japan.
India: 24.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 44% more rain than India.
India: 1,268 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is India bigger than Japan?
India is larger. Japan fits inside India 8.7 times.
Which has more people, India or Japan?
India has 12 times as many people as Japan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, India or Japan?
People in Japan live 12 years longer than in India. Life expectancy at birth is 72.2 years in India and 84.0 in Japan.
Are people taller in India or Japan?
Men in Japan are 5.6 cm taller than in India (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
