JPY
…
USD
…
Land Area
United States of America
9,833,517 km²
Largest
Japan
377,975 km²
3.8% of largest
United States of America is 26.02× larger than Japan
Population
United States of America
LARGEST
341.78M
PEOPLE
Japan
36.1% OF LARGEST
123.37M
PEOPLE
United States of America has 2.77× the population of Japan
GDP
United States of America
LARGEST
$30.77T
Japan
14.4% OF LARGEST
$4.44T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
United States of America
LARGEST
1.35M
TROOPS
Japan
18.3% OF LARGEST
247.15K
TROOPS
United States of America has 5.45× the active personnel of Japan
Air Force
United States of America
LARGEST
13.3K
AIRCRAFT
Japan
10.9% OF LARGEST
1.45K
AIRCRAFT
United States of America has 9.18× the aircraft of Japan
Naval Assets
United States of America
Japan
Wealth
Gold Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
8,133.5
Metric Tonnes
Japan
10.4% OF LARGEST
846.0
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
Japan
LARGEST
$1.16T
Reserves · excl. gold
United States of America
19.7% OF LARGEST
$228B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
United States of America
MOST
813
billionaires
Japan
5% OF MOST
41
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
69
Billion barrels
Japan
0.1% OF LARGEST
0.0
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
Japan
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.0M b/d
Consumption
3.3M b/d
−3.3M b/d net
United States of America
NET EXPORTER
Production
20.0M b/d
Consumption
19.0M b/d
+1.0M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
Japan
$917.0B
Exports
$917.0B
Imports
$952.0B
Trade Balance
$-35.0B
Trade Deficit
United States of America
$3,193.5B
Exports
$3,193.5B
Imports
$4,103.1B
Trade Balance
$-909.6B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Japan
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
Japan
consumption
United States of America
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Japan
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Japan
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Japan
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
Japan
United States of America
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
United States of America
1,233
Gold
1,013
Silver
889
Bronze
3,135
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 2,772
❄ Winter: 363
Japan
211
Gold
198
Silver
235
Bronze
644
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 544
❄ Winter: 100
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Japan
United States of America
Age Demographics
Median Age
Japan
48.6
YEARS
10
30
50
70
United States of America
38.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
Japan is 9.8 years older (median) than United States of America
Youth Population
United States of America has the highest youth population at 38.4% (under 30)
Elderly Population
Japan has the highest elderly population at 34.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Japan
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
193
|
186
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
25.1M
|
66.5M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
29
|
411
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
20
|
16
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
26
|
26
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
Japan
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $9 | $20 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $45 | $80 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $1,000 | $1,950 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $650 | $1,500 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $130 | $175 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $35 | $68 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $90 | $85 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
USA
Japan
Physicians per 1,000
USA
Japan
Hospital beds per 1,000
Japan
USA
Diabetes prevalence
USA
Japan
Obesity prevalence
USA
Japan
Suicide rate per 100k
Japan
USA
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for Japan vs USA — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | Japan | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 123366734 | 341784857 |
| Area (sq km) | 377975 | 9833517 |
| Capital | Tokyo | Washington, D.C. |
| Official Language | Japanese | English (de facto) |
| Currency | Japanese Yen (JPY) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Government Type | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Federal presidential constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | Japan | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 247,150 | 1,347,300 |
| Reserve Personnel | 56,000 | 799,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 303,150 | 2,146,800 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $49,100,000,000 | $816,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 579 | 6,612 |
| Armored Vehicles | 3,137 | 45,193 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 166 | 1,498 |
| Towed Artillery | 492 | 1,339 |
| Rocket Projectors | 99 | 1,366 |
Economy
| Metric | Japan | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $4,435,162,999,977 | $30,769,700,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $35,951 | $90,027 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 2.5% | 4.2% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 32.3 | 41.8 |
| Currency | Japanese Yen (JPY) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
United States of America is 26.0 times larger in area than Japan.
That's a massive difference!
United States of America has 2.8 times more people than Japan.
United States of America has the highest GDP per capita at $90,027 among the selected countries.
United States of America has the largest economy with a GDP of
$30.77 trillion.
United States of America has the largest active military personnel with 1,347,300 troops.
United States of America has the largest air force with 13,300 aircraft.
United States of America has the largest navy with 472 vessels.
USA Fact: The United States has more airports than any other country in the world, with over 13,000 airports.
Japan vs United States of America: Key Comparisons
Economy: United States of America's GDP of $30.8T is 6.9x larger than Japan's $4.4T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: United States of America's population of 342M is 2.8x larger than Japan's 123M.
Area: United States of America covers 9,833,517 km², making it 26.0x larger than Japan.
Military: United States of America fields 1.3Million active troops vs Japan's 250Thousand.
Trade: Japan has a trade deficit of $35B while United States of America has a trade deficit of $910B.
Life Expectancy: Japan leads with a life expectancy of 84 years vs United States of America's 79.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology