Japan vs United States

Japan and United States 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.

• United States has about 2.8 times as many people as Japan: 341.8 million against 123.4 million in 2025.
• GDP per person in United States ($90,027) is about 2.5 times as high as in Japan ($35,951) in 2025.
• The economy grew faster in United States (2.2%) than in Japan (1.2%), a difference of 1 percentage point in 2025.
• Consumer prices rose faster in Japan (3.2% in 2025) than in United States (2.9% in 2024), a difference of 0.3 percentage points.
• The unemployment rate was higher in United States (4.2%) than in Japan (2.5%), a difference of 1.7 percentage points in 2025.
• A baby born in Japan can expect to live 5.1 years longer than one born in United States: 84 years against 78.9 years in 2024.
• The population of Japan is older: half of its people are over 49 years, against 38 years in United States in 2023.
• A larger share of people used the internet in United States (94.7%) than in Japan (85.5%), a difference of 9.2 percentage points in 2024.
• CO2 emissions per person in United States (13.6 tonnes) are 74% higher than in Japan (7.8 tonnes) in 2024.
• Forest covers a larger share of the land in Japan (68.3%) than in United States (33.8%), a difference of 34.5 percentage points in 2024.