Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Israel fits inside Japan 17 times.
Israel: 22,070 km² (2023) · Japan: 377,969 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 109 times as long as Israel’s.
Israel: 273 km (2026 edition) · Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 1,540 m above Israel’s.
Israel: 2,236 m (2026 edition) · Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 12 times as many people as Israel.
Israel: 10.1 million (2025) · Japan: 123 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Israel is 38% more densely populated than Japan.
Israel: 468 per km² (2025) · Japan: 338 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Israel are 3.9 cm taller than in Japan.
Israel: 176 cm (2019) · Japan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Israel are 3.7 cm taller than in Japan.
Israel: 162.2 cm (2019) · Japan: 158.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 20 years older than in Israel.
Israel: 29.2 years (2023) · Japan: 49 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Israel have 1.7 more children on average than in Japan.
Israel: 2.87 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 13% in Israel.
Israel: 12.7% (2025) · Japan: 30% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Israel has produced 5.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Japan 2.4.
Israel: 5.9 (2025) · Japan: 2.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
Israel has 2 official languages, Japan 1.
Israel: 2 (2026) · Japan: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 7.3 times the size of Israel’s.
Israel: $611 billion (2025) · Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Israel produces 8% more per person than Japan.
Israel: Int$59,717 (2025) · Japan: Int$55,422 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Israel than in Japan (Gini 6 points higher).
Israel: 38.3 (2022) · Japan: 32.3 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.5% in Israel, versus 2.5% in Japan.
Israel: 3.5% (2025) · Japan: 2.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Israel spends 8.8% of its GDP on the military, Japan 1.4%.
Israel: 8.8% (2024) · Japan: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Israel’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Japan’s.
Israel: 101% (2025) · Japan: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Israel spends 8% more on health per person than Japan.
Israel: $3,928 (2023) · Japan: $3,638 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 0.84 years longer than in Israel.
Israel: 83.2 years (2024) · Japan: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Israel is 50% more likely to die before turning one than in Japan.
Israel: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Israel has 43% more doctors per person than Japan.
Israel: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Israel are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Israel: 23.3% (2024) · Japan: 5.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Israel smoke, versus 18% in Japan.
Israel: 21.2% (2024) · Japan: 17.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Israel rate their lives 1.06 points higher than in Japan.
Israel: 7.19 (2025) · Japan: 6.13 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 49% more alcohol than in Israel.
Israel: 4.2 litres (2023) · Japan: 6.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Israel has 81% more meat per person than Japan.
Israel: 108.7 kg (2023) · Japan: 59.9 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Israel has 1,084 kcal more food per person per day than Japan.
Israel: 3,754 kcal (2023) · Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Israel put in 236 more hours a year than in Japan.
Israel: 1,890 hours (2023) · Japan: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Israel went to school 0.85 years longer than in Japan.
Israel: 13.5 years (2023) · Japan: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 3.1 times as many tourists per resident as Israel (2019).
Israel: 0.1 (2024) · Japan: 0.3 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
88% of people in Israel are online, versus 86% in Japan.
Israel: 88% (2024) · Japan: 86% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Israel and Japan are practically level.
Israel: 100% (2024) · Japan: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 92% in Israel.
Israel: 92% (2025) · Japan: 92% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Israel 177.
Israel: 177 (2024) · Japan: 178 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 12 times as long as Israel’s.
Israel: 1,720 km (2021) · Japan: 20,087 km (2011)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 34% more passengers per resident than those from Israel.
Israel: 0.73 (2023) · Japan: 0.98 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 6.5% of Israel.
Israel: 6.5% (2023) · Japan: 68.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 39% more CO₂ than someone in Israel.
Israel: 5.6 t (2024) · Japan: 7.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of Japan’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Israel.
Israel: 16.9% (2025) · Japan: 23.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Israel carries 94% more fine dust than in Japan.
Israel: 20.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 7.1 times as likely to be murdered in Israel as in Japan.
Israel: 1.6 per 100k (2022) · Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Israel are 56% deadlier than in Japan.
Israel: 4.2 per 100k (2021) · Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Israel is on average 8.4 °C warmer than Japan.
Israel: 21.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 8.9 times as much rain as Israel.
Israel: 205 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Israel bigger than Japan?
Japan is larger. Israel fits inside Japan 17 times.
Which has more people, Israel or Japan?
Japan has 12 times as many people as Israel (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Israel or Japan?
People in Japan live 0.84 years longer than in Israel. Life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years in Israel and 84.0 in Japan.
Are people taller in Israel or Japan?
Men in Israel are 3.9 cm taller than in Japan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
