Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Myanmar is 79% bigger than Japan
Japan: 377,975 km² (2024) · Myanmar: 676,578 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 15 times as long as Myanmar’s
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Myanmar: 1,930 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Myanmar’s highest peak towers 2,094 m above Japan’s
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Myanmar: 5,870 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 20% of Myanmar, versus 13% of Japan
Japan: 12.6% (2024) · Myanmar: 19.9% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 2.2 times as many people as Myanmar
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Myanmar: 54.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 4 times as densely populated as Myanmar
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Myanmar: 84 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Japan are 5.4 cm taller than in Myanmar
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Myanmar: 166.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Japan are 3.8 cm taller than in Myanmar
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Myanmar: 154.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 19 years older than in Myanmar
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Myanmar: 29.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Myanmar have 0.9 more children on average than in Japan
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Myanmar: 2.1 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 7.5% in Myanmar
Japan: 30% (2025) · Myanmar: 7.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Japan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Myanmar: 0 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Myanmar 0.2
Japan: 2.5 (2026) · Myanmar: 0.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Japan and Myanmar are practically level
Japan: 1 (2026) · Myanmar: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 54 times the size of Myanmar’s
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Myanmar: $81.7 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 9.2 times as much per person as Myanmar
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Myanmar: Int$6,012 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Japan than in Myanmar (Gini 1.6 points higher)
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Myanmar: 30.7 (2017)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
10% of people in Myanmar live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.2% in Japan
Japan: 1.2% (2020) · Myanmar: 10.3% (2017)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.0% in Myanmar, versus 2.5% in Japan
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Myanmar: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Myanmar spends 6.6% of its GDP on the military, Japan 1.4%
Japan: 1.4% (2025) · Myanmar: 6.6% (2024)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Japan: no data · Myanmar: 6% (2019)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 2.6× Myanmar’s
Japan: 65% (2025) · Myanmar: 25% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 65 times as much on health per person as Myanmar
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Myanmar: $56 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 17 years longer than in Myanmar
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Myanmar: 67.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Myanmar is 18 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Myanmar: 32.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 3.5 times as many doctors per person as Myanmar
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Myanmar: 0.8 per 1,000 (2019)
How many hospital beds are there?
Japan has 12 times as many hospital beds per person as Myanmar
Japan: 12.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Myanmar: 1.1 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Japan is 3.5 times that in Myanmar
Japan: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Myanmar: 4.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
8.3% of adults in Myanmar are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Myanmar: 8.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
43% of adults in Myanmar smoke, versus 18% in Japan
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Myanmar: 43.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 1.84 points higher than in Myanmar
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Myanmar: 4.29 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 3.3 times as much alcohol as in Myanmar
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Myanmar: 1.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 2.9 times as much meat per person as Myanmar
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Myanmar: 20.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Myanmar has 139 kcal more food per person per day than Japan
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Myanmar: 2,809 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Myanmar put in 543 more hours a year than in Japan
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Myanmar: 2,197 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 6.3 years longer than in Myanmar
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Myanmar: 6.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 20 times as many tourists per resident as Myanmar (2019)
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Myanmar: 0.01 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Japan has 25 more World Heritage sites than Myanmar (27 against 2)
Japan: 27 (2026) · Myanmar: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Japan has won 642 Olympic medals, Myanmar none
Japan: 642 (2026 edition) · Myanmar: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 45% in Myanmar
Japan: 86% (2024) · Myanmar: 45% (2020)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Japan is 7.2 times as fast as in Myanmar
Japan: 322 Mbps (2026) · Myanmar: 45 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Japan have electricity, versus 80% in Myanmar
Japan: 100% (2024) · Myanmar: 80.4% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 31% in Myanmar
Japan: 92% (2025) · Myanmar: 31% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Myanmar 114
Japan: 178 (2023) · Myanmar: 114 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Myanmar: no data
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 15 times as many passengers per resident as those from Myanmar
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Myanmar: 0.06 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 42% of Myanmar
Japan: 68.3% (2024) · Myanmar: 42% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 13 times as much CO₂ as someone in Myanmar
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Myanmar: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Myanmar’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Myanmar: 47.9% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Myanmar carries 3 times as much fine dust as in Japan
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Myanmar: 31.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 11 times as likely to be murdered in Myanmar as in Japan
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Myanmar: 2.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Myanmar are 5.8 times as deadly as in Japan
Japan: 3.8 per 100k (2023) · Myanmar: 21.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Myanmar is on average 11.3 °C warmer than Japan
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Myanmar: 24.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Myanmar gets 22% more rain than Japan
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Myanmar: 2,233 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than Myanmar?
Myanmar is larger. Myanmar is 79% bigger than Japan.
Which has more people, Japan or Myanmar?
Japan has 2.2 times as many people as Myanmar (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Myanmar?
People in Japan live 17 years longer than in Myanmar. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 67.1 in Myanmar.
Are people taller in Japan or Myanmar?
Men in Japan are 5.4 cm taller than in Myanmar (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).