Canada vs Japan
Canada vs Japan: Government debt
Government debt: 113.6% of GDP in Canada in 2025 and 213.6% of GDP in Japan in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Japan, by 103.6 percentage points, or 1.94 times that in Canada.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Japan has been higher since 1998, when it overtook Canada.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Canada at 107% of GDP and Japan at 188.9% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Canada | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 113.6 | 204.8 |
| 2024 | 110 | 213.6 |
| 2023 | 105.1 | 220.1 |
| 2022 | 103.5 | 228 |
| 2021 | 112.6 | 222.6 |
| 2020 | 118.1 | 228.8 |
| 2019 | 90.1 | 206.3 |
| 2018 | 90.8 | 203.7 |
| 2017 | 91 | 203.1 |
| 2016 | 92.5 | 202.1 |
| 2015 | 92.3 | 200.1 |
| 2014 | 85.8 | 203.6 |
| 2013 | 87.7 | 201.2 |
| 2012 | 87 | 197.1 |
| 2011 | 84.3 | 190.6 |
| 2010 | 84 | 178.6 |
| 2009 | 81.8 | 172.9 |
| 2008 | 70.4 | 153.6 |
| 2007 | 67.2 | 150.4 |
| 2006 | 69.9 | 152.1 |
| 2005 | 70.6 | 153.4 |
| 2004 | 71.9 | 148.8 |
| 2003 | 75.9 | 140.2 |
| 2002 | 79.6 | 134.6 |
| 2001 | 81.5 | 126.8 |
| 2000 | 80.4 | 118.5 |
| 1999 | 89 | 113.5 |
| 1998 | 93.3 | 101.6 |
| 1997 | 95.3 | 91.3 |
| 1996 | 100.2 | 85.3 |
| 1995 | 100.1 | 80.7 |
| 1994 | 97.5 | 73.3 |
| 1993 | 94.7 | 63.2 |
| 1992 | 88.2 | 57.9 |
| 1991 | 81.7 | 54.1 |
| 1990 | 73.7 | 54.8 |
| 1989 | 71 | 56.9 |
| 1988 | 69.8 | 62.4 |
| 1987 | 69.8 | 65.8 |
| 1986 | 69.3 | 64.2 |
| 1985 | 65.2 | 59.2 |
| 1984 | 60.2 | 56.9 |
| 1983 | 57.2 | 55.1 |
| 1982 | 51.7 | 50.1 |
| 1981 | 46.1 | 45.8 |
| 1980 | 44.6 | 41.4 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Canada | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 115.6 | 199.4 |
| 2027 | 113.4 | 196.4 |
| 2028 | 111.8 | 193.8 |
| 2029 | 110.4 | 191.5 |
| 2030 | 108.8 | 190.1 |
| 2031 | 107 | 188.9 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
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
- Armed forces personnelCanada: 72,000 people in 2020Japan: 261,000 people in 2020
- 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