Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan is 55% bigger than the United Kingdom.
Japan: 377,969 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 2.4 times as long as the United Kingdom’s.
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 2,431 m above the United Kingdom’s.
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 78% more people than the United Kingdom.
Japan: 123 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 18% more densely populated than the United Kingdom.
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 6.2 cm taller than in Japan.
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 5.4 cm taller than in Japan.
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 9.2 years older than in the United Kingdom.
Japan: 49 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.4 more children on average than in Japan.
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 20% in the United Kingdom.
Japan: 30% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Japan 2.4.
Japan: 2.4 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
Japan and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Japan: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 11% larger than the United Kingdom’s.
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 17% more per person than Japan.
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
The United Kingdom and Japan are practically level.
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 2.5% in Japan.
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Japan 1.4%.
Japan: 1.4% (2024) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Japan’s.
Japan: 65% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 61% more on health per person than Japan.
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 2.6 years longer than in the United Kingdom.
Japan: 84 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 25% more doctors per person than Japan.
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom.
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 0.56 points higher than in Japan.
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 67% more alcohol than in Japan.
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 41% more meat per person than Japan.
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 765 kcal more food per person per day than Japan.
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Japan put in 131 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 0.81 years longer than in Japan.
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Kingdom welcomed 86% more tourists per resident than Japan (2019).
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 86% in Japan.
Japan: 86% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Japan: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 83% in the United Kingdom.
Japan: 92% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122.
Japan: 178 (2023) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 24% longer than the United Kingdom’s.
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 76% more passengers per resident than those from Japan.
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 13% of the United Kingdom.
Japan: 68.4% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 72% more CO₂ than someone in the United Kingdom.
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan.
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Japan carries 19% more fine dust than in the United Kingdom.
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.9 times as likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom as in Japan.
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Japan are 13% deadlier than in the United Kingdom.
Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Japan is on average 2.8 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 70% more rain than the United Kingdom.
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than the United Kingdom?
Japan is larger. Japan is 55% bigger than the United Kingdom.
Which has more people, Japan or the United Kingdom?
Japan has 78% more people than the United Kingdom (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or the United Kingdom?
People in Japan live 2.6 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Japan or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 6.2 cm taller than in Japan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
