World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside Japan 3.4 times.
Japan: 377,969 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 68 times as long as the median country’s.
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 1,441 m above the median country’s.
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 17 times as many people as the median country.
Japan: 123 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 3.4 times as densely populated as the median country.
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 1.5 cm taller than in Japan.
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 2.1 cm taller than in Japan.
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 18 years older than in the median country.
Japan: 49 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.8 more children on average than in Japan.
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
Japan: 30% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
Japan: 2.4 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Japan and the median country are practically level.
Japan: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 97 times the size of the median country’s.
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 2.6 times as much per person as the median country.
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Japan (Gini 2.1 points higher).
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 2.5% in Japan.
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country and Japan are practically level.
Japan: 1.4% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× the median country’s.
Japan: 65% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 7.7 times as much on health per person as the median country.
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 9.4 years longer than in the median country.
Japan: 84 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 58% more doctors per person than the median country.
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 18% in Japan.
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 0.30 points higher than in the median country.
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 44% more alcohol than in the median country.
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 7% more meat per person than the median country.
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 268 kcal more food per person per day than Japan.
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 320 more hours a year than in Japan.
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 2.8 years longer than in the median country.
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 16% more tourists per resident than Japan (2019).
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 82% in the median country.
Japan: 86% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and the median country are practically level.
Japan: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
Japan: 92% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
Japan: 178 (2023) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 9.4 times as long as the median country’s.
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 4.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country.
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 31% of the median country.
Japan: 68.4% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 2.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country.
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan.
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 58% more fine dust than in Japan.
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 9.9 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in Japan.
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 4.6 times as deadly as in Japan.
Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 10.2 °C warmer than Japan.
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 80% more rain than the median country.
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than the median country?
Japan is larger. The median country fits inside Japan 3.4 times.
Which has more people, Japan or the median country?
Japan has 17 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or the median country?
People in Japan live 9.4 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Japan or the median country?
Men in the median country are 1.5 cm taller than in Japan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).