Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan: 377,975 km² (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 19 times as long as Taiwan’s
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Taiwan: 1,566 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Taiwan’s highest peak towers 176 m above Japan’s
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Taiwan: 3,952 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Japan: 12.6% (2024) · Taiwan: no data
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Taiwan: no data
How crowded is it?
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Taiwan: no data
How tall are the men?
Men in Taiwan are 1.5 cm taller than in Japan
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Taiwan: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Taiwan are 2.2 cm taller than in Japan
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Taiwan: 160.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 5.4 years older than in Taiwan
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Taiwan: 43.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How many people are 65 or older?
Japan: 30% (2025) · Taiwan: no data
How many refugees does it host?
Japan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Taiwan: no data
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan: 2.5 (2026) · Taiwan: no data
How many official languages?
Japan and Taiwan are practically level
Japan: 1 (2026) · Taiwan: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Taiwan: no data
How much is produced per person?
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Taiwan: no data
How evenly is income shared?
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Taiwan: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Japan: 1.2% (2020) · Taiwan: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Taiwan: no data
How much goes to the military?
Japan: 1.4% (2025) · Taiwan: no data
How expensive is it?
Japan: 65% (2025) · Taiwan: no data
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Taiwan: no data
How long do people live?
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How many doctors are there?
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Taiwan: no data
How many hospital beds are there?
Japan: 12.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Taiwan: no data
How common is suicide?
Japan: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Taiwan: no data
How common is obesity?
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How many adults smoke?
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Taiwan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Taiwan rate their lives 0.58 points higher than in Japan
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Taiwan: 6.71 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Taiwan: no data
How much meat is on the menu?
Taiwan has 53% more meat per person than Japan
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Taiwan: 91.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Taiwan has 288 kcal more food per person per day than Japan
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Taiwan: 2,958 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Taiwan put in 378 more hours a year than in Japan
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Taiwan: 2,032 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Taiwan: no data
How many tourists visit?
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Japan: 27 (2026) · Taiwan: no data
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Japan has won 642 Olympic medals, Taiwan 43
Japan: 642 (2026 edition) · Taiwan: 43 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
Japan: 86% (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Japan is 24% faster than in Taiwan
Japan: 322 Mbps (2026) · Taiwan: 260 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan: 100% (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How many live in cities?
Japan: 92% (2025) · Taiwan: no data
How many phones per person?
Japan: 178 (2023) · Taiwan: no data
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 12 times as long as Taiwan’s
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Taiwan: 1,613 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Taiwan: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Japan: 68.3% (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Taiwan emits 45% more CO₂ than someone in Japan
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Taiwan: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of Japan’s electricity is renewable, versus 12% in Taiwan
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Taiwan: 12.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Taiwan carries 58% more fine dust than in Japan
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Taiwan: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Taiwan: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Japan: 3.8 per 100k (2023) · Taiwan: no data
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Taiwan: no data
How much rain falls?
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Taiwan: no data
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Are people taller in Japan or Taiwan?
Men in Taiwan are 1.5 cm taller than in Japan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).