Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan fits inside Mexico 5.2 times
Japan: 377,975 km² (2024) · Mexico: 1,957,190 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 3.2 times as long as Mexico’s
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Mexico: 9,330 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Mexico’s highest peak towers 1,860 m above Japan’s
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Mexico: 5,636 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 51% of Mexico, versus 13% of Japan
Japan: 12.6% (2024) · Mexico: 50.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Mexico has 7% more people than Japan
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Mexico: 132 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 5 times as densely populated as Mexico
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Mexico: 68 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Japan are 1.8 cm taller than in Mexico
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Mexico: 170.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Japan and Mexico are practically level
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Mexico: 157.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 20 years older than in Mexico
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Mexico: 28.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Mexico have 0.7 more children on average than in Japan
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Mexico: 1.89 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 8.5% in Mexico
Japan: 30% (2025) · Mexico: 8.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Mexico hosts 3.3 times as many refugees per resident as Japan
Japan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Mexico: 1.2 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Mexico 0.2
Japan: 2.5 (2026) · Mexico: 0.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Japan and Mexico are practically level
Japan: 1 (2026) · Mexico: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 2.4 times the size of Mexico’s
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Mexico: $1.83 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 2.1 times as much per person as Mexico
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Mexico: Int$25,869 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Mexico than in Japan (Gini 10.3 points higher)
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Mexico: 42.6 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Mexico and Japan are practically level
Japan: 1.2% (2020) · Mexico: 1.6% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Mexico and Japan are practically level
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Mexico: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Japan spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, Mexico 0.7%
Japan: 1.4% (2025) · Mexico: 0.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Japan: no data · Mexico: 14.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Mexico’s
Japan: 65% (2025) · Mexico: 54% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 4.8 times as much on health per person as Mexico
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Mexico: $761 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 8.8 years longer than in Mexico
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Mexico: 75.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Mexico is 6.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Mexico: 12.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 2% more doctors per person than Mexico
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Mexico: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Japan has 12 times as many hospital beds per person as Mexico
Japan: 12.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Mexico: 1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Japan is 66% higher than in Mexico
Japan: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Mexico: 8.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Mexico are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Mexico: 37.4% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 16% in Mexico
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Mexico: 15.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Mexico rate their lives 0.84 points higher than in Japan
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Mexico: 6.97 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Mexico drink 7% more alcohol than in Japan
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Mexico: 6.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Mexico has 31% more meat per person than Japan
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Mexico: 78.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Mexico has 634 kcal more food per person per day than Japan
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Mexico: 3,305 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Japan put in 25 more hours a year than in Mexico
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Mexico: 1,629 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 3.3 years longer than in Mexico
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Mexico: 9.3 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Mexico welcomed 16% more tourists per resident than Japan (2019)
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Mexico: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Mexico has 9 more World Heritage sites than Japan (36 against 27)
Japan: 27 (2026) · Mexico: 36 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Japan has won 642 Olympic medals, Mexico 77
Japan: 642 (2026 edition) · Mexico: 77 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 83% in Mexico
Japan: 86% (2024) · Mexico: 83% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Japan is 2.1 times as fast as in Mexico
Japan: 322 Mbps (2026) · Mexico: 152 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and Mexico are practically level
Japan: 100% (2024) · Mexico: 99.8% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 80% in Mexico
Japan: 92% (2025) · Mexico: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Mexico 116
Japan: 178 (2023) · Mexico: 116 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Mexico’s railway network is 16% longer than Japan’s
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Mexico: 23,389 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 63% more passengers per resident than those from Mexico
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Mexico: 0.6 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 34% of Mexico
Japan: 68.3% (2024) · Mexico: 34.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 2.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Mexico
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Mexico: 3.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
Japan and Mexico are practically level
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Mexico: 23.1% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Mexico carries 74% more fine dust than in Japan
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Mexico: 18.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 108 times as likely to be murdered in Mexico as in Japan
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Mexico: 24.9 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Mexico are 5 times as deadly as in Japan
Japan: 3.8 per 100k (2023) · Mexico: 19.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mexico is on average 8.6 °C warmer than Japan
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Mexico: 21.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 2.3 times as much rain as Mexico
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Mexico: 788 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than Mexico?
Mexico is larger. Japan fits inside Mexico 5.2 times.
Which has more people, Japan or Mexico?
Mexico has 7% more people than Japan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Mexico?
People in Japan live 8.8 years longer than in Mexico. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 75.3 in Mexico.
Are people taller in Japan or Mexico?
Men in Japan are 1.8 cm taller than in Mexico (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
