Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Norway is 65% bigger than Japan
Japan: 377,975 km² (2024) · Norway: 624,500 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 18% longer than Norway’s
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Norway: 25,148 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 1,307 m above Norway’s
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Norway: 2,469 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 13% of Japan, versus 2.7% of Norway
Japan: 12.6% (2024) · Norway: 2.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 22 times as many people as Norway
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Norway: 5.61 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 22 times as densely populated as Norway
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Norway: 15 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Norway are 8.4 cm taller than in Japan
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Norway: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Norway are 7.9 cm taller than in Japan
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Norway: 166.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 9.4 years older than in Norway
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Norway: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Norway have 0.3 more children on average than in Japan
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Norway: 1.45 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 19% in Norway
Japan: 30% (2025) · Norway: 19.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Norway hosts 64 times as many refugees per resident as Japan
Japan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Norway: 22.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Norway has produced 23.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Japan 2.5
Japan: 2.5 (2026) · Norway: 23.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Norway has 3 official languages, Japan 1
Japan: 1 (2026) · Norway: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 8.4 times the size of Norway’s
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Norway: $531 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Norway produces 88% more per person than Japan
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Norway: Int$104,044 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Japan than in Norway (Gini 5.8 points higher)
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Norway: 26.5 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.2% of people in Japan live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.2% in Norway
Japan: 1.2% (2020) · Norway: 0.2% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in Norway, versus 2.5% in Japan
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Norway: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Norway spends 3.3% of its GDP on the military, Japan 1.4%
Japan: 1.4% (2025) · Norway: 3.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Japan: no data · Norway: 24.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Norway’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Japan’s
Japan: 65% (2025) · Norway: 91% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Norway spends 2.3 times as much on health per person as Japan
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Norway: $8,296 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 0.88 years longer than in Norway
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Norway: 83.2 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Norway is 11% more likely to die before turning one than in Japan
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Norway: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Norway has 88% more doctors per person than Japan
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Norway: 5 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Japan has 3.8 times as many hospital beds per person as Norway
Japan: 12.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Norway: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Japan is 24% higher than in Norway
Japan: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Norway: 11.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
21% of adults in Norway are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Norway: 20.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 13% in Norway
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Norway: 12.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Norway rate their lives 1.11 points higher than in Japan
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Norway: 7.24 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Norway drink 11% more alcohol than in Japan
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Norway: 7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Norway has 18% more meat per person than Japan
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Norway: 70.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Norway has 806 kcal more food per person per day than Japan
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Norway: 3,476 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Japan put in 242 more hours a year than in Norway
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Norway: 1,412 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Norway went to school 0.43 years longer than in Japan
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Norway: 13.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Norway welcomed 3.1 times as many tourists per resident as Japan (2019)
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Norway: 0.91 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Japan has 19 more World Heritage sites than Norway (27 against 8)
Japan: 27 (2026) · Norway: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Japan has won 642 Olympic medals, Norway 616
Japan: 642 (2026 edition) · Norway: 616 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
99% of people in Norway are online, versus 86% in Japan
Japan: 86% (2024) · Norway: 99% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Japan is 41% faster than in Norway
Japan: 322 Mbps (2026) · Norway: 228 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and Norway are practically level
Japan: 100% (2024) · Norway: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 84% in Norway
Japan: 92% (2025) · Norway: 84% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Norway 109
Japan: 178 (2023) · Norway: 109 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 5.2 times as long as Norway’s
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Norway: 3,885 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Norway: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 33% of Norway
Japan: 68.3% (2024) · Norway: 33.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 17% more CO₂ than someone in Norway
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Norway: 6.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
99% of Norway’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Norway: 99% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Japan carries 57% more fine dust than in Norway
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Norway: 6.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.2 times as likely to be murdered in Norway as in Japan
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Norway: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Japan are 31% deadlier than in Norway
Japan: 3.8 per 100k (2023) · Norway: 2.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Japan is on average 11.2 °C warmer than Norway
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Norway: 1.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 45% more rain than Norway
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Norway: 1,259 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than Norway?
Norway is larger. Norway is 65% bigger than Japan.
Which has more people, Japan or Norway?
Japan has 22 times as many people as Norway (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Norway?
People in Japan live 0.88 years longer than in Norway. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 83.2 in Norway.
Are people taller in Japan or Norway?
Men in Norway are 8.4 cm taller than in Japan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
