Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Israel fits inside Japan 17 times
Israel: 22,070 km² (2024) · Japan: 377,975 km² (2024)
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)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 24% of Israel, versus 13% of Japan
Israel: 23.8% (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 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 refugees does it host?
Japan hosts 2.7 times as many refugees per resident as Israel
Israel: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · Japan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Israel has produced 5.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Japan 2.5
Israel: 5.9 (2026) · Japan: 2.5 (2026)
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 live on less than $3 a day?
1.2% of people in Japan live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.4% in Israel
Israel: 0.4% (2022) · Japan: 1.2% (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 7.8% of its GDP on the military, Japan 1.4%
Israel: 7.8% (2025) · Japan: 1.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Israel: 23.2% (2024) · Japan: no data
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 many hospital beds are there?
Japan has 4 times as many hospital beds per person as Israel
Israel: 3.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Japan: 12.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Japan is 2.1 times that in Israel
Israel: 6.9 per 100k (2023) · Japan: 14.4 per 100k (2023)
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)
How many World Heritage sites?
Japan has 18 more World Heritage sites than Israel (27 against 9)
Israel: 9 (2026) · Japan: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Japan has won 642 Olympic medals, Israel 20
Israel: 20 (2026 edition) · Japan: 642 (2026 edition)
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)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Israel is 22% faster than in Japan
Israel: 392 Mbps (2026) · Japan: 322 Mbps (2026)
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 6.8% of Israel
Israel: 6.8% (2024) · Japan: 68.3% (2024)
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 79% deadlier than in Japan
Israel: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · Japan: 3.8 per 100k (2023)
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)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
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).
