Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ukraine is 60% bigger than Japan.
Japan: 377,969 km² (2023) · Ukraine: 603,550 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 11 times as long as Ukraine’s.
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Ukraine: 2,782 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 1,715 m above Ukraine’s.
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Ukraine: 2,061 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 3.2 times as many people as Ukraine.
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Ukraine: 39 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 5 times as densely populated as Ukraine.
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Ukraine: 67 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ukraine are 8.9 cm taller than in Japan.
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Ukraine: 181 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ukraine are 8.1 cm taller than in Japan.
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Ukraine: 166.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 7 years older than in Ukraine.
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Ukraine: 42 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Japan have 0.2 more children on average than in Ukraine.
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Ukraine: 0.99 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 19% in Ukraine.
Japan: 30% (2025) · Ukraine: 19% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ukraine 1.3.
Japan: 2.4 (2025) · Ukraine: 1.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
Japan and Ukraine are practically level.
Japan: 1 (2026) · Ukraine: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 21 times the size of Ukraine’s.
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Ukraine: $214 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 2.9 times as much per person as Ukraine.
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Ukraine: Int$18,905 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Japan than in Ukraine (Gini 6.7 points higher).
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Ukraine: 25.6 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.8% in Ukraine, versus 2.5% in Japan.
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Ukraine: 9.8% (2021)
How much goes to the military?
Ukraine spends 34% of its GDP on the military, Japan 1.4%.
Japan: 1.4% (2024) · Ukraine: 34.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× Ukraine’s.
Japan: 65% (2025) · Ukraine: 31% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 9.8 times as much on health per person as Ukraine.
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Ukraine: $370 (2021)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 9.3 years longer than in Ukraine.
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Ukraine: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ukraine is 4.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Ukraine: 7.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ukraine has 33% more doctors per person than Japan.
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Ukraine: 3.5 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
28% of adults in Ukraine are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Ukraine: 27.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Ukraine smoke, versus 18% in Japan.
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Ukraine: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 1.47 points higher than in Ukraine.
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Ukraine: 4.66 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 61% more alcohol than in Ukraine.
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Ukraine: 3.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 21% more meat per person than Ukraine.
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Ukraine: 49.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ukraine has 116 kcal more food per person per day than Japan.
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Ukraine: 2,786 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ukraine put in 391 more hours a year than in Japan.
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Ukraine: 2,045 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 1.6 years longer than in Ukraine.
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Ukraine: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 4.5 times as many tourists per resident as Ukraine (2019).
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Ukraine: 0.07 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 82% in Ukraine.
Japan: 86% (2024) · Ukraine: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and Ukraine are practically level.
Japan: 100% (2024) · Ukraine: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 70% in Ukraine.
Japan: 92% (2025) · Ukraine: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ukraine 133.
Japan: 178 (2023) · Ukraine: 133 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Ukraine’s railway network is 8% longer than Japan’s.
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Ukraine: 21,626 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 84 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ukraine.
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Ukraine: 0.01 (2022)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 17% of Ukraine.
Japan: 68.4% (2023) · Ukraine: 16.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ukraine.
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Ukraine: 3.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of Japan’s electricity is renewable, versus 16% in Ukraine.
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Ukraine: 16.4% (2022)
How clean is the air?
The air in Ukraine carries 35% more fine dust than in Japan.
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Ukraine: 14.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 16 times as likely to be murdered in Ukraine as in Japan.
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Ukraine: 3.8 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ukraine are 3.9 times as deadly as in Japan.
Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021) · Ukraine: 10.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Japan is on average 2.5 °C warmer than Ukraine.
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ukraine: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 2.9 times as much rain as Ukraine.
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ukraine: 619 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than Ukraine?
Ukraine is larger. Ukraine is 60% bigger than Japan.
Which has more people, Japan or Ukraine?
Japan has 3.2 times as many people as Ukraine (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Ukraine?
People in Japan live 9.3 years longer than in Ukraine. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 74.7 in Ukraine.
Are people taller in Japan or Ukraine?
Men in Ukraine are 8.9 cm taller than in Japan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
