Canada vs Japan
Canada vs Japan: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 72,000 people in Canada and 261,000 people in Japan, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Japan, by 189,000 people, or 3.63 times that in Canada.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Japan has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1985.
- In 2020, Canada ranked 58 and Japan ranked 27 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | Canada | Japan | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 72,000 | 261,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 72,000 | 261,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 72,400 | 261,200 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 72,000 | 261,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 67,500 | 260,900 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 67,500 | 259,800 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 70,200 | 259,800 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 65,700 | 259,800 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 66,000 | 259,800 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 65,700 | 260,100 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 65,700 | 260,400 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 65,720 | 260,400 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 64,000 | 242,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 64,000 | 242,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 64,000 | 252,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 71,000 | 272,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 71,000 | 251,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 61,600 | 252,100 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 61,600 | 252,100 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 66,100 | 252,100 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 68,500 | 248,700 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 69,950 | 254,600 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 69,950 | 254,600 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 72,700 | 247,600 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 79,800 | 247,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 75,700 | 251,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 75,000 | 233,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 76,000 | 242,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 82,000 | 242,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 86,000 | 250,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 87,000 | 250,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 88,000 | 247,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 83,000 | 243,000 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 82,000 | 241,000 | – |
| 1983 | 81,000 | 241,000 | – |
| 1982 | 81,000 | 243,000 | – |
| 1981 | 81,000 | 241,000 | – |
| 1980 | 82,000 | 242,000 | – |
| 1979 | 79,000 | 239,000 | – |
| 1978 | 79,000 | 239,000 | – |
| 1977 | 78,000 | 236,000 | – |
| 1976 | 78,000 | 236,000 | – |
| 1975 | 78,000 | 237,000 | – |
| 1974 | 82,000 | 237,000 | – |
| 1973 | 82,000 | 233,000 | – |
| 1972 | 90,000 | 233,000 | – |
| 1971 | 85,000 | 234,000 | – |
| 1970 | 95,000 | 236,000 | – |
| 1969 | 100,000 | 236,000 | – |
| 1968 | 105,000 | 235,000 | – |
| 1967 | 105,000 | 231,000 | – |
| 1966 | 110,000 | 227,000 | – |
| 1965 | 120,000 | 246,000 | – |
| 1964 | 120,000 | 244,000 | – |
| 1963 | 120,000 | 243,000 | – |
| 1962 | 124,000 | 235,000 | – |
| 1961 | 124,000 | 230,000 | – |
| 1960 | 121,000 | 263,000 | – |
| 1959 | 120,000 | 255,000 | – |
| 1958 | 119,000 | 243,000 | – |
| 1957 | 121,000 | 224,000 | – |
| 1956 | 116,000 | 215,000 | – |
| 1955 | 112,000 | 196,000 | – |
| 1954 | 108,000 | 165,000 | – |
| 1953 | 104,000 | 123,000 | – |
| 1952 | 102,000 | 119,000 | – |
| 1951 | 62,000 | – | – |
| 1950 | 45,000 | – | – |
| 1949 | 47,000 | – | – |
| 1948 | 40,000 | – | – |
| 1947 | 43,000 | – | – |
| 1946 | 46,000 | – | – |
| 1945 | 801,000 | 6.1 million | – |
| 1944 | 728,000 | 4.33 million | – |
| 1943 | 740,000 | 3.08 million | – |
| 1942 | 400,000 | 3.08 million | – |
| 1941 | 280,000 | 3.08 million | – |
| 1940 | 21,000 | 957,000 | – |
| 1939 | 6,000 | 957,000 | – |
| 1938 | 6,000 | 370,000 | – |
| 1937 | 6,000 | 393,000 | – |
| 1936 | 6,000 | 416,000 | – |
| 1935 | 4,000 | 410,000 | – |
| 1934 | 5,000 | 399,000 | – |
| 1933 | 5,000 | 371,000 | – |
| 1932 | 5,000 | 370,000 | – |
| 1931 | 6,000 | 292,000 | – |
| 1930 | 5,000 | 293,000 | – |
| 1929 | 4,000 | 296,000 | – |
| 1928 | 5,000 | 285,000 | – |
| 1927 | 4,000 | 274,000 | – |
| 1926 | 4,000 | 302,000 | – |
| 1925 | 4,000 | 306,000 | – |
| 1924 | 4,000 | 306,000 | – |
| 1923 | 4,000 | 306,000 | – |
| 1922 | 4,000 | 306,000 | – |
| 1921 | 4,000 | 306,000 | – |
| 1920 | 4,000 | 306,000 | – |
| 1919 | – | 306,000 | – |
| 1918 | – | 660,000 | – |
| 1917 | – | 660,000 | – |
| 1916 | – | 650,000 | – |
| 1915 | – | 650,000 | – |
| 1914 | – | 300,000 | – |
| 1913 | – | 296,000 | – |
| 1912 | – | 275,000 | – |
| 1911 | – | 274,000 | – |
| 1910 | – | 283,000 | – |
| 1909 | – | 273,000 | – |
| 1908 | – | 273,000 | – |
| 1907 | – | 262,000 | – |
| 1906 | – | 266,000 | – |
| 1905 | – | 250,000 | – |
| 1904 | – | 218,000 | – |
| 1903 | – | 214,000 | – |
| 1902 | – | 209,000 | – |
| 1901 | – | 206,000 | – |
| 1900 | – | 182,000 | – |
| 1899 | – | 147,000 | – |
| 1898 | – | 156,000 | – |
| 1897 | – | 132,000 | – |
| 1896 | – | 103,000 | – |
| 1895 | – | 207,000 | – |
| 1894 | – | 83,000 | – |
| 1893 | – | 71,000 | – |
| 1892 | – | 79,000 | – |
| 1891 | – | 89,000 | – |
| 1890 | – | 71,000 | – |
| 1889 | – | 69,000 | – |
| 1888 | – | 62,000 | – |
| 1887 | – | 62,000 | – |
| 1886 | – | 56,000 | – |
| 1885 | – | 52,000 | – |
| 1884 | – | 48,000 | – |
| 1883 | – | 48,000 | – |
| 1882 | – | 47,000 | – |
| 1881 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1880 | – | 45,000 | – |
| 1879 | – | 44,000 | – |
| 1878 | – | 43,000 | – |
| 1877 | – | 38,000 | – |
| 1876 | – | 37,000 | – |
| 1875 | – | 41,000 | – |
| 1874 | – | 41,000 | – |
| 1873 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1872 | – | 20,000 | – |
| 1871 | – | 17,000 | – |
| 1870 | – | 6,000 | – |
| 1869 | – | 6,000 | – |
| 1868 | – | 0 | – |
| 1867 | – | 0 | – |
| 1866 | – | 0 | – |
| 1865 | – | 0 | – |
| 1864 | – | 0 | – |
| 1863 | – | 0 | – |
| 1862 | – | 12,000 | – |
| 1861 | – | 12,000 | – |
| 1860 | – | 12,000 | – |
- 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel, with paramilitary forces where they are trained and equipped like soldiers, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Before 1985: Correlates of War Project, National Material Capabilities v7.0; Singer, Bremer and Stuckey (1972), “Capability Distribution, Uncertainty, and Major Power War, 1820–1965”, in Bruce Russett (ed.), Peace, War, and Numbers, Sage, 19–48.
- Ranks count the 170 countries with a value in 2020, highest first.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Canada vs Japan
Health
- Life expectancyCanada: 82.6 years in 2023Japan: 84.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityCanada: 0.5 per 100 live births in 2024Japan: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityCanada: 4.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023Japan: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterCanada: 99% in 2022Japan: 98.7% in 2022
- DepressionCanada: 3.99% in 2017Japan: 3.34% in 2017
- Suicide rateCanada: 10.9 per 100,000 people in 2017Japan: 15.7 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationCanada: 39.3 million people in 2023Japan: 124 million people in 2023
- Population growthCanada: 1.22% a year in 2023Japan: -0.48% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateCanada: 1.35 births per woman in 2023Japan: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationCanada: 82.9% in 2025Japan: 92.3% in 2025
- Median ageCanada: 40.3 years in 2023Japan: 49 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overCanada: 19.4% in 2023Japan: 29.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateCanada: 11 per 1,000 people in 2023Japan: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingCanada: 1.63% of GDP in 2025Japan: 1.41% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsCanada: $37.5B in 2025Japan: $59.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personCanada: $939 in 2025Japan: $504 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingCanada: 3.7% of government spending in 2025Japan: 3.8% of government spending in 2025
- National powerCanada: 0.81% of world capability in 2022Japan: 2.47% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersCanada: 0.35% of the labour force in 2020Japan: 0.38% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsCanada: 83 million TIV in 2025Japan: 1.72 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsCanada: 312 million TIV in 2025Japan: 28 million TIV in 2025