Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan fits inside Kazakhstan 7.2 times
Japan: 377,975 km² (2024) · Kazakhstan: 2,724,900 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Kazakhstan: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kazakhstan’s highest peak towers 3,234 m above Japan’s
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Kazakhstan: 7,010 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 79% of Kazakhstan, versus 13% of Japan
Japan: 12.6% (2024) · Kazakhstan: 79.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 5.9 times as many people as Kazakhstan
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Kazakhstan: 20.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 44 times as densely populated as Kazakhstan
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Kazakhstan: 8 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Kazakhstan are 3.4 cm taller than in Japan
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Kazakhstan: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Kazakhstan are 3.2 cm taller than in Japan
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Kazakhstan: 161.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 19 years older than in Kazakhstan
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Kazakhstan: 29.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kazakhstan have 1.8 more children on average than in Japan
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Kazakhstan: 2.98 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 9.0% in Kazakhstan
Japan: 30% (2025) · Kazakhstan: 9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Japan hosts 64% more refugees per resident than Kazakhstan
Japan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Kazakhstan: 0.2 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Kazakhstan none
Japan: 2.5 (2026) · Kazakhstan: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Kazakhstan has 2 official languages, Japan 1
Japan: 1 (2026) · Kazakhstan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 14 times the size of Kazakhstan’s
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Kazakhstan: $306 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 25% more per person than Kazakhstan
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Kazakhstan: Int$44,294 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Japan than in Kazakhstan (Gini 3.1 points higher)
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Kazakhstan: 29.2 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.2% of people in Japan live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in Kazakhstan
Japan: 1.2% (2020) · Kazakhstan: 0% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.8% in Kazakhstan, versus 2.5% in Japan
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Kazakhstan: 4.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Japan spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, Kazakhstan 0.4%
Japan: 1.4% (2025) · Kazakhstan: 0.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Japan: no data · Kazakhstan: 11.9% (2023)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Kazakhstan’s
Japan: 65% (2025) · Kazakhstan: 33% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 7.4 times as much on health per person as Kazakhstan
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Kazakhstan: $490 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 9.5 years longer than in Kazakhstan
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Kazakhstan: 74.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kazakhstan is 4.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Kazakhstan: 7.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Kazakhstan has 42% more doctors per person than Japan
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Kazakhstan: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Japan has 93% more hospital beds per person than Kazakhstan
Japan: 12.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Kazakhstan: 6.5 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Kazakhstan is 26% higher than in Japan
Japan: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Kazakhstan: 18.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
22% of adults in Kazakhstan are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Kazakhstan: 22.4% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Kazakhstan smoke, versus 18% in Japan
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Kazakhstan: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Kazakhstan rate their lives 0.50 points higher than in Japan
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Kazakhstan: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 5% more alcohol than in Kazakhstan
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Kazakhstan: 6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Kazakhstan has 8% more meat per person than Japan
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Kazakhstan: 64.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Kazakhstan has 466 kcal more food per person per day than Japan
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Kazakhstan: 3,136 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Kazakhstan put in 321 more hours a year than in Japan
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Kazakhstan: 1,975 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 0.14 years longer than in Kazakhstan
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Kazakhstan: 12.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Kazakhstan welcomed 70% more tourists per resident than Japan (2019)
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Kazakhstan: 0.5 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Japan has 20 more World Heritage sites than Kazakhstan (27 against 7)
Japan: 27 (2026) · Kazakhstan: 7 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Japan has won 642 Olympic medals, Kazakhstan 87
Japan: 642 (2026 edition) · Kazakhstan: 87 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
93% of people in Kazakhstan are online, versus 86% in Japan
Japan: 86% (2024) · Kazakhstan: 93% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Japan is 2 times as fast as in Kazakhstan
Japan: 322 Mbps (2026) · Kazakhstan: 165 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and Kazakhstan are practically level
Japan: 100% (2024) · Kazakhstan: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 62% in Kazakhstan
Japan: 92% (2025) · Kazakhstan: 62% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Kazakhstan 127
Japan: 178 (2023) · Kazakhstan: 127 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 26% longer than Kazakhstan’s
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Kazakhstan: 16,006 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 71% more passengers per resident than those from Kazakhstan
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Kazakhstan: 0.57 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 1.3% of Kazakhstan
Japan: 68.3% (2024) · Kazakhstan: 1.3% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Kazakhstan emits 79% more CO₂ than someone in Japan
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Kazakhstan: 13.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of Japan’s electricity is renewable, versus 15% in Kazakhstan
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Kazakhstan: 14.9% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Kazakhstan carries 52% more fine dust than in Japan
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Kazakhstan: 16 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 11 times as likely to be murdered in Kazakhstan as in Japan
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Kazakhstan: 2.6 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kazakhstan are 5.4 times as deadly as in Japan
Japan: 3.8 per 100k (2023) · Kazakhstan: 20.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Japan is on average 5.0 °C warmer than Kazakhstan
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Kazakhstan: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 5.6 times as much rain as Kazakhstan
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Kazakhstan: 328 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than Kazakhstan?
Kazakhstan is larger. Japan fits inside Kazakhstan 7.2 times.
Which has more people, Japan or Kazakhstan?
Japan has 5.9 times as many people as Kazakhstan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Kazakhstan?
People in Japan live 9.5 years longer than in Kazakhstan. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 74.5 in Kazakhstan.
Are people taller in Japan or Kazakhstan?
Men in Kazakhstan are 3.4 cm taller than in Japan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).