Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan fits inside Sudan 5 times
Japan: 377,975 km² (2024) · Sudan: 1,878,000 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 35 times as long as Sudan’s
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Sudan: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 734 m above Sudan’s
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Sudan: 3,042 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 60% of Sudan, versus 13% of Japan
Japan: 12.6% (2024) · Sudan: 60.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 2.4 times as many people as Sudan
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Sudan: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 12 times as densely populated as Sudan
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Sudan: 28 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Sudan and Japan are practically level
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Sudan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sudan are 1.9 cm taller than in Japan
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Sudan: 160.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 31 years older than in Sudan
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Sudan: 18.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sudan have 3.1 more children on average than in Japan
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Sudan: 4.26 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Sudan
Japan: 30% (2025) · Sudan: 3.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sudan hosts 46 times as many refugees per resident as Japan
Japan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Sudan: 15.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sudan none
Japan: 2.5 (2026) · Sudan: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Sudan has 2 official languages, Japan 1
Japan: 1 (2026) · Sudan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 74 times the size of Sudan’s
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Sudan: $60.2 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 25 times as much per person as Sudan
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Sudan: Int$2,192 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sudan than in Japan (Gini 1.9 points higher)
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Sudan: 34.2 (2014)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Japan: 1.2% (2020) · Sudan: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in Sudan, versus 2.5% in Japan
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Sudan: 7.5% (2022)
How much goes to the military?
Japan and Sudan are practically level
Japan: 1.4% (2025) · Sudan: 0.9% (2021)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Japan: no data · Sudan: 7.4% (2016)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Sudan’s
Japan: 65% (2025) · Sudan: 53% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 173 times as much on health per person as Sudan
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Sudan: $21 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 18 years longer than in Sudan
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Sudan: 66.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sudan is 24 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Sudan: 42.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 11 times as many doctors per person as Sudan
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Sudan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2017)
How many hospital beds are there?
Japan has 19 times as many hospital beds per person as Sudan
Japan: 12.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Sudan: 0.7 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Japan is 3.9 times that in Sudan
Japan: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: 3.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
16% of adults in Sudan are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Sudan: 16.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Sudan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 1.99 points higher than in Sudan
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Sudan: 4.14 (2017)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 4.5 times as much alcohol as in Sudan
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Sudan: 1.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 3.3 times as much meat per person as Sudan
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Sudan: 18.4 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Japan has 157 kcal more food per person per day than Sudan
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Sudan: 2,513 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sudan put in 1,004 more hours a year than in Japan
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Sudan: 2,658 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 8.7 years longer than in Sudan
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Sudan: 4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 16 times as many tourists per resident as Sudan (2019)
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Sudan: 0.02 (2018)
How many World Heritage sites?
Japan has 24 more World Heritage sites than Sudan (27 against 3)
Japan: 27 (2026) · Sudan: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Japan has won 642 Olympic medals, Sudan 1
Japan: 642 (2026 edition) · Sudan: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 19% in Sudan
Japan: 86% (2024) · Sudan: 19% (2017)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Japan is 4.1 times as fast as in Sudan
Japan: 322 Mbps (2026) · Sudan: 79 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Japan have electricity, versus 66% in Sudan
Japan: 100% (2024) · Sudan: 66% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 35% in Sudan
Japan: 92% (2025) · Sudan: 35% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sudan 70
Japan: 178 (2023) · Sudan: 70 (2022)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 7.3 times as long as Sudan’s
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Sudan: 2,747 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 55 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sudan
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Sudan: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 12% of Sudan
Japan: 68.3% (2024) · Sudan: 11.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 22 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sudan
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Sudan: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
80% of Sudan’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Sudan: 79.7% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sudan carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in Japan
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Sudan: 28.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sudan are 7.4 times as deadly as in Japan
Japan: 3.8 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: 28.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sudan is on average 14.9 °C warmer than Japan
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 27.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 11 times as much rain as Sudan
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 171 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than Sudan?
Sudan is larger. Japan fits inside Sudan 5 times.
Which has more people, Japan or Sudan?
Japan has 2.4 times as many people as Sudan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Sudan?
People in Japan live 18 years longer than in Sudan. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 66.5 in Sudan.
Are people taller in Japan or Sudan?
Sudan and Japan are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
