Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Kenya is 57% bigger than Japan.
Japan: 377,969 km² (2023) · Kenya: 591,969 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 56 times as long as Kenya’s.
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Kenya: 536 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kenya’s highest peak towers 1,423 m above Japan’s.
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Kenya: 5,199 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 2.1 times as many people as Kenya.
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Kenya: 57.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 3.4 times as densely populated as Kenya.
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Kenya: 99 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Japan are 1.6 cm taller than in Kenya.
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Kenya: 170.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Kenya are 0.9 cm taller than in Japan.
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Kenya: 159.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 29 years older than in Kenya.
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Kenya: 19.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kenya have 2.0 more children on average than in Japan.
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Kenya: 3.17 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 3.0% in Kenya.
Japan: 30% (2025) · Kenya: 3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Kenya 0.2.
Japan: 2.4 (2025) · Kenya: 0.2 (2025)
How many official languages?
Kenya has 2 official languages, Japan 1.
Japan: 1 (2026) · Kenya: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 33 times the size of Kenya’s.
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Kenya: $136 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 7.9 times as much per person as Kenya.
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Kenya: Int$7,016 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Kenya than in Japan (Gini 6.2 points higher).
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Kenya: 38.5 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.4% in Kenya, versus 2.5% in Japan.
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Kenya: 5.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Japan and Kenya are practically level.
Japan: 1.4% (2024) · Kenya: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Kenya’s.
Japan: 65% (2025) · Kenya: 34% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 43 times as much on health per person as Kenya.
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Kenya: $85 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 20 years longer than in Kenya.
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Kenya: 63.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kenya is 19 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Kenya: 34.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 9.2 times as many doctors per person as Kenya.
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Kenya: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
10% of adults in Kenya are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Kenya: 10.4% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 9.6% in Kenya.
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Kenya: 9.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 1.46 points higher than in Kenya.
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Kenya: 4.67 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 2.8 times as much alcohol as in Kenya.
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Kenya: 2.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 5.9 times as much meat per person as Kenya.
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Kenya: 10.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Japan has 524 kcal more food per person per day than Kenya.
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Kenya: 2,146 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Kenya put in 381 more hours a year than in Japan.
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Kenya: 2,035 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 4.1 years longer than in Kenya.
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Kenya: 8.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 11 times as many tourists per resident as Kenya (2019).
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Kenya: 0.03 (2017)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 35% in Kenya.
Japan: 86% (2024) · Kenya: 35% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Japan have electricity, versus 77% in Kenya.
Japan: 100% (2024) · Kenya: 77% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 32% in Kenya.
Japan: 92% (2025) · Kenya: 32% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Kenya 126.
Japan: 178 (2023) · Kenya: 126 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 5.3 times as long as Kenya’s.
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Kenya: 3,819 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 11 times as many passengers per resident as those from Kenya.
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Kenya: 0.09 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 6.2% of Kenya.
Japan: 68.4% (2023) · Kenya: 6.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 21 times as much CO₂ as someone in Kenya.
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Kenya: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
90% of Kenya’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan.
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Kenya: 90% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Kenya carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in Japan.
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Kenya: 22 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 21 times as likely to be murdered in Kenya as in Japan.
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Kenya: 4.9 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kenya are 10 times as deadly as in Japan.
Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021) · Kenya: 28.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Kenya is on average 12.9 °C warmer than Japan.
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Kenya: 25.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 2.6 times as much rain as Kenya.
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Kenya: 696 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than Kenya?
Kenya is larger. Kenya is 57% bigger than Japan.
Which has more people, Japan or Kenya?
Japan has 2.1 times as many people as Kenya (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Kenya?
People in Japan live 20 years longer than in Kenya. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 63.8 in Kenya.
Are people taller in Japan or Kenya?
Men in Japan are 1.6 cm taller than in Kenya (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
