Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan is 14% bigger than Vietnam
Japan: 377,975 km² (2024) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 8.6 times as long as Vietnam’s
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 632 m above Vietnam’s
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 39% of Vietnam, versus 13% of Japan
Japan: 12.6% (2024) · Vietnam: 39.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 21% more people than Vietnam
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 4% more densely populated than Vietnam
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Japan are 3.2 cm taller than in Vietnam
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Japan and Vietnam are practically level
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 17 years older than in Vietnam
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Vietnam have 0.7 more children on average than in Japan
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 9.5% in Vietnam
Japan: 30% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Japan hosts 2,689 times as many refugees per resident as Vietnam
Japan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.00013 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Vietnam 0.1
Japan: 2.5 (2026) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Japan and Vietnam are practically level
Japan: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 8.6 times the size of Vietnam’s
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 3.1 times as much per person as Vietnam
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Vietnam than in Japan (Gini 3.8 points higher)
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Vietnam and Japan are practically level
Japan: 1.2% (2020) · Vietnam: 1.6% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 2.5% in Japan, versus 1.5% in Vietnam
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Vietnam spends 2.2% of its GDP on the military, Japan 1.4%
Japan: 1.4% (2025) · Vietnam: 2.2% (2025)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 2.3× Vietnam’s
Japan: 65% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 18 times as much on health per person as Vietnam
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 9.3 years longer than in Vietnam
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vietnam is 6.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 2.4 times as many doctors per person as Vietnam
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Japan has 5 times as many hospital beds per person as Vietnam
Japan: 12.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 2.5 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Japan is 44% higher than in Vietnam
Japan: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
5.2% of adults in Japan are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 18% in Japan
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Vietnam rate their lives 0.30 points higher than in Japan
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 71% more alcohol than in Japan
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Vietnam and Japan are nearly identical here
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Vietnam has 416 kcal more food per person per day than Japan
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 507 more hours a year than in Japan
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 3.7 years longer than in Vietnam
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 3.7 times as many tourists per resident as Vietnam (2019)
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
How many World Heritage sites?
Japan has 18 more World Heritage sites than Vietnam (27 against 9)
Japan: 27 (2026) · Vietnam: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Japan has won 642 Olympic medals, Vietnam 5
Japan: 642 (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 5 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 84% in Vietnam
Japan: 86% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Japan is 32% faster than in Vietnam
Japan: 322 Mbps (2026) · Vietnam: 244 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and Vietnam are practically level
Japan: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam
Japan: 92% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Vietnam 128
Japan: 178 (2023) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 6.4 times as long as Vietnam’s
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 80% more passengers per resident than those from Vietnam
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 47% of Vietnam
Japan: 68.3% (2024) · Vietnam: 47.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Vietnam
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
45% of Vietnam’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Vietnam carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in Japan
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vietnam are 4.8 times as deadly as in Japan
Japan: 3.8 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 18.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Vietnam is on average 11.6 °C warmer than Japan
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 17% more rain than Japan
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than Vietnam?
Japan is larger. Japan is 14% bigger than Vietnam.
Which has more people, Japan or Vietnam?
Japan has 21% more people than Vietnam (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Vietnam?
People in Japan live 9.3 years longer than in Vietnam. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in Japan or Vietnam?
Men in Japan are 3.2 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).