Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan fits inside Tanzania 2.5 times.
Japan: 377,969 km² (2023) · Tanzania: 947,300 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 21 times as long as Tanzania’s.
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Tanzania: 1,424 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Tanzania’s highest peak towers 2,119 m above Japan’s.
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Tanzania: 5,895 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 75% more people than Tanzania.
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Tanzania: 70.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 4.2 times as densely populated as Tanzania.
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Tanzania: 80 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Japan are 5.1 cm taller than in Tanzania.
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Tanzania: 167 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Japan are 1.6 cm taller than in Tanzania.
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Tanzania: 156.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 32 years older than in Tanzania.
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Tanzania: 17.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Tanzania have 3.4 more children on average than in Japan.
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Tanzania: 4.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 3.0% in Tanzania.
Japan: 30% (2025) · Tanzania: 3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Tanzania 0.0.
Japan: 2.4 (2025) · Tanzania: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Tanzania has 2 official languages, Japan 1.
Japan: 1 (2026) · Tanzania: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 49 times the size of Tanzania’s.
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Tanzania: $90.1 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 12 times as much per person as Tanzania.
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Tanzania: Int$4,471 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Tanzania than in Japan (Gini 8.2 points higher).
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Tanzania: 40.5 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 2.5% in Japan, versus 1.6% in Tanzania.
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Tanzania: 1.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Japan and Tanzania are practically level.
Japan: 1.4% (2024) · Tanzania: 1.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Tanzania’s.
Japan: 65% (2025) · Tanzania: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 100 times as much on health per person as Tanzania.
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Tanzania: $36 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 17 years longer than in Tanzania.
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Tanzania: 67.2 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Tanzania is 16 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Tanzania: 28.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 20 times as many doctors per person as Tanzania.
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Tanzania: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
10% of adults in Tanzania are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Tanzania: 10.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 7.7% in Tanzania.
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Tanzania: 7.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 2.23 points higher than in Tanzania.
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Tanzania: 3.90 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 4.2 times as much alcohol as in Tanzania.
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Tanzania: 1.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 4.9 times as much meat per person as Tanzania.
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Tanzania: 12.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Japan has 152 kcal more food per person per day than Tanzania.
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Tanzania: 2,518 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Tanzania put in 475 more hours a year than in Japan.
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Tanzania: 2,129 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 6.6 years longer than in Tanzania.
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Tanzania: 6.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 13 times as many tourists per resident as Tanzania (2019).
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Tanzania: 0.02 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 31% in Tanzania.
Japan: 86% (2024) · Tanzania: 31% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Japan have electricity, versus 52% in Tanzania.
Japan: 100% (2024) · Tanzania: 52.4% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 37% in Tanzania.
Japan: 92% (2025) · Tanzania: 37% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Tanzania 127.
Japan: 178 (2023) · Tanzania: 127 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 7.4 times as long as Tanzania’s.
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Tanzania: 2,701 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 36 times as many passengers per resident as those from Tanzania.
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Tanzania: 0.03 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 50% of Tanzania.
Japan: 68.4% (2023) · Tanzania: 50.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 27 times as much CO₂ as someone in Tanzania.
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Tanzania: 0.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
33% of Tanzania’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan.
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Tanzania: 32.9% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Tanzania carries 2.3 times as much fine dust as in Japan.
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Tanzania: 24.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 16 times as likely to be murdered in Tanzania as in Japan.
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Tanzania: 3.7 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Tanzania are 5.9 times as deadly as in Japan.
Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021) · Tanzania: 15.8 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Tanzania is on average 10.4 °C warmer than Japan.
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Tanzania: 23.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 66% more rain than Tanzania.
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Tanzania: 1,102 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than Tanzania?
Tanzania is larger. Japan fits inside Tanzania 2.5 times.
Which has more people, Japan or Tanzania?
Japan has 75% more people than Tanzania (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Tanzania?
People in Japan live 17 years longer than in Tanzania. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 67.2 in Tanzania.
Are people taller in Japan or Tanzania?
Men in Japan are 5.1 cm taller than in Tanzania (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
