France vs Japan

France and Japan compared on 10 key figures from official sources. Each value is the latest one published for that country, so the year is shown with it.

• Japan has about 1.8 times as many people as France: 123.4 million against 68.7 million in 2025.
• GDP per person in France ($48,986) is 36% higher than in Japan ($35,951) in 2025.
• The economy grew faster in Japan (1.2%) than in France (0.8%), a difference of 0.4 percentage points in 2025.
• Consumer prices rose faster in Japan (3.2%) than in France (0.9%), a difference of 2.3 percentage points in 2025.
• The unemployment rate was higher in France (7.5%) than in Japan (2.5%), a difference of 5 percentage points in 2025.
• A baby born in Japan can expect to live 1 years longer than one born in France: 84 years against 83 years in 2024.
• The population of Japan is older: half of its people are over 49 years, against 41.8 years in France in 2023.
• A larger share of people used the internet in France (88.7%) than in Japan (85.5%), a difference of 3.2 percentage points in 2024.
• CO2 emissions per person in Japan (7.8 tonnes) are 95% higher than in France (4 tonnes) in 2024.
• Forest covers a larger share of the land in Japan (68.3%) than in France (32.9%), a difference of 35.4 percentage points in 2024.