Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan fits inside Saudi Arabia 5.7 times
Japan: 377,975 km² (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 11 times as long as Saudi Arabia’s
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 776 m above Saudi Arabia’s
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 3,000 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 82% of Saudi Arabia, versus 13% of Japan
Japan: 12.6% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 81.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 3.3 times as many people as Saudi Arabia
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 37 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 20 times as densely populated as Saudi Arabia
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 17 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Japan are 1.4 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 170.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Saudi Arabia and Japan are practically level
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 20 years older than in Saudi Arabia
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 29.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Saudi Arabia have 1.2 more children on average than in Japan
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2.31 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Saudi Arabia
Japan: 30% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Japan hosts 28 times as many refugees per resident as Saudi Arabia
Japan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 0.012 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Saudi Arabia none
Japan: 2.5 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Japan and Saudi Arabia are practically level
Japan: 1 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 3.5 times the size of Saudi Arabia’s
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Saudi Arabia: $1.28 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Saudi Arabia produces 33% more per person than Japan
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: Int$73,784 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Japan: 1.2% (2020) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.0% in Saudi Arabia, versus 2.5% in Japan
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Saudi Arabia spends 6.5% of its GDP on the military, Japan 1.4%
Japan: 1.4% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 6.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Japan: no data · Saudi Arabia: 8.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Saudi Arabia’s
Japan: 65% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 2 times as much on health per person as Saudi Arabia
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: $1,825 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 5.1 years longer than in Saudi Arabia
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 79 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Saudi Arabia is 2.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Saudi Arabia has 29% more doctors per person than Japan
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Saudi Arabia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Japan has 5.2 times as many hospital beds per person as Saudi Arabia
Japan: 12.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Saudi Arabia: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Japan is 6.5 times that in Saudi Arabia
Japan: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
39% of adults in Saudi Arabia are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 39.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 15% in Saudi Arabia
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 14.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Saudi Arabia rate their lives 0.69 points higher than in Japan
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 3% more meat per person than Saudi Arabia
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Saudi Arabia: 58.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Saudi Arabia has 990 kcal more food per person per day than Japan
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Saudi Arabia: 3,660 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Saudi Arabia put in 471 more hours a year than in Japan
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,125 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 1.1 years longer than in Saudi Arabia
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Saudi Arabia welcomed 2.8 times as many tourists per resident as Japan (2019)
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 0.84 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Japan has 19 more World Heritage sites than Saudi Arabia (27 against 8)
Japan: 27 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Japan has won 642 Olympic medals, Saudi Arabia 4
Japan: 642 (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia are online, versus 86% in Japan
Japan: 86% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Japan is 64% faster than in Saudi Arabia
Japan: 322 Mbps (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 196 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and Saudi Arabia are practically level
Japan: 100% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 85% in Saudi Arabia
Japan: 92% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 85% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Saudi Arabia 160
Japan: 178 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 160 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 6.8 times as long as Saudi Arabia’s
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Saudi Arabia: 2,939 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Saudi Arabia fly 33% more passengers per resident than those from Japan
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 1.3% of Saudi Arabia
Japan: 68.3% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 1.3% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Saudi Arabia emits 2.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Japan
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 20.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of Japan’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.2% in Saudi Arabia
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 2.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Saudi Arabia carries 4.8 times as much fine dust as in Japan
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 50.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.1 times as likely to be murdered in Saudi Arabia as in Japan
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 0.9 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Saudi Arabia are 5.6 times as deadly as in Japan
Japan: 3.8 per 100k (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 21.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Saudi Arabia is on average 14.1 °C warmer than Japan
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 30 times as much rain as Saudi Arabia
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia is larger. Japan fits inside Saudi Arabia 5.7 times.
Which has more people, Japan or Saudi Arabia?
Japan has 3.3 times as many people as Saudi Arabia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Saudi Arabia?
People in Japan live 5.1 years longer than in Saudi Arabia. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 79.0 in Saudi Arabia.
Are people taller in Japan or Saudi Arabia?
Men in Japan are 1.4 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
