🇨🇳 China vs 🇯🇵 Japan
35 indicators below, published by both countries and set side by side. They differ most on inflation rate, where Japan’s figure is 52.9× higher.
Side by Side
Each bar is scaled against the larger of the two values, so the gap is visible rather than only stated.
Bars compare magnitude only. A larger value is not a better one — several of these indicators have no better direction, and for others the lower figure is the favourable one.
Every Shared Indicator
35 indicators published for both countries. Bold marks the larger of the two values — larger is not always better. Ranks are out of the countries that report each indicator.
| Indicator | China | Japan | China vs Japan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,406,585,0002nd of 240 | 123,366,73412th of 240 | 1,283,218,266 apart |
| Annual Growth Rate | −0.17%208th of 240 | −0.49%218th of 240 | 2.9× lower |
| Population Density/km² | 150/km²82nd of 240 | 342/km²39th of 240 | 56% lower |
| Land Areakm² | 9,388,210 km²2nd of 240 | 364,569 km²62nd of 240 | 9,023,641 km² apart |
| Urban Population | 66.3%116th of 240 | 92.3%30th of 240 | 28% lower |
| GDP per Capita | $13,862110th of 240 | $35,95155th of 240 | 2.6× lower |
| GDP Growth | +5.0%54th of 210 | +1.2%164th of 210 | 4.2× higher |
| Life Expectancyyears | 78.0 years83rd of 240 | 84.0 years10th of 240 | 7% lower |
| Fertility Ratebirths per woman | 1.01 births per woman230th of 240 | 1.15 births per woman223rd of 240 | 12% lower |
| Birth Rateper 1,000 | 6.8 per 1,000202nd of 213 | 5.7 per 1,000207th of 213 | 19% higher |
| Death Rateper 1,000 | 7.8 per 1,00087th of 213 | 13.3 per 1,0009th of 213 | 42% lower |
| Infant Mortalityper 1,000 live births | 4.1 per 1,000 live births39th of 194 | 1.8 per 1,000 live births3rd of 194 | 2.3× higher |
| Unemployment Rate | 4.6%76th of 186 | 2.5%24th of 186 | 1.9× higher |
| Inflation Rate | 0.1%176th of 191 | 3.2%93rd of 191 | 3.1 points apart |
| Poverty Rate | 0.0%1st of 164 | 15.7%46th of 164 | 15.7 points apart |
| Gini Index | 36.092nd of 170 | 32.352nd of 170 | 11% higher |
| Health Spendingof GDP | 5.9% of GDP106th of 192 | 10.7% of GDP20th of 192 | 45% lower |
| Physiciansper 1,000 | 3.11 per 1,00057th of 206 | 2.65 per 1,00072nd of 206 | 17% higher |
| Hospital Bedsper 1,000 | 5.63 per 1,00024th of 199 | 12.59 per 1,0006th of 199 | 55% lower |
| Literacy Rate | 96.7%66th of 175 | 99.0%29th of 175 | 2% lower |
| Education Spendingof GDP | 3.9% of GDP112th of 202 | 3.3% of GDP135th of 202 | 17% higher |
| School Enrollmentgross, secondary | 92.3% gross, secondary97th of 207 | 101.5% gross, secondary56th of 207 | 9% lower |
| Renewable Energyof final consumption | 15.2% of final consumption122nd of 211 | 8.8% of final consumption153rd of 211 | 1.7× higher |
| Forest Coverageof land area | 24.0% of land area121st of 211 | 68.4% of land area19th of 211 | 2.8× lower |
| Internet Penetration | 91.6%51st of 211 | 85.5%84th of 211 | 7% higher |
| Mobile Subscriptionsper 100 people | 131.8 per 100 people54th of 212 | 178.4 per 100 people12th of 212 | 26% lower |
| Maternal Mortalityper 100,000 live births | 16 per 100,000 live births62nd of 193 | 3 per 100,000 live births6th of 193 | 5.3× higher |
| Military Spendingof GDP | 1.71% of GDP83rd of 163 | 1.37% of GDP97th of 163 | 25% higher |
| Protected Areasof land area | 15.6% of land area119th of 211 | 29.7% of land area38th of 211 | 47% lower |
| Median Ageyears | 40.1 years61st of 240 | 49.8 years5th of 240 | 19% lower |
| Mean Years of Schoolingyears | 9.0 years87th of 148 | 12.8 years13th of 148 | 30% lower |
| Human Development Index | 0.79777th of 192 | 0.92523rd of 192 | 14% lower |
| Happiness Index/ 10 | 6.07/ 1067th of 164 | 6.13/ 1063rd of 164 | 1% lower |
| CO₂ Emissionstonnes per capita | 8.66 tonnes per capita30th of 212 | 7.77 tonnes per capita36th of 212 | 11% higher |
| Obesity Rate | 9.1%174th of 198 | 5.2%191st of 198 | 1.7× higher |
Values are each country’s most recent published observation, so the two sides of a row may be from different years — the country pages show the year for each. Bold marks the larger of the two, which is not always the better one.
Population, 1950–2100
Observed to 2024, then the UN medium-variant projection.
| Series | Year | Value |
|---|---|---|
| China | 1950 | 544M |
| China | 1975 | 916.1M |
| China | 2000 | 1.27B |
| China | 2025 | 1.42B |
| China | 2050 | 1.26B |
| China | 2075 | 934.5M |
| China | 2100 | 633.4M |
| Japan | 1950 | 86.4M |
| Japan | 1975 | 113.3M |
| Japan | 2000 | 127M |
| Japan | 2025 | 123.1M |
| Japan | 2050 | 105.1M |
| Japan | 2075 | 87.4M |
| Japan | 2100 | 76.8M |
Reading This Comparison
Size is not the same as rate
Totals and per-capita measures answer different questions. A country can have a far larger economy and a far lower GDP per capita at the same time — both facts are in the table.
Mind the vintages
Each value is the latest available for that country, which is not always the same year on both sides. For indicators that move slowly this rarely matters; for inflation or GDP growth it can.