Japan vs South Korea
Japan vs South Korea: National power
National power in 2022: 2.47% of world capability in Japan and 2% of world capability in South Korea, by Correlates of War estimates. In 2022 the value was higher in Japan, by 0.48 percentage points, or 1.24 times that in South Korea.
% of world capability · Correlates of War
What the numbers say
- Japan has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1952.
- In 2022, Japan ranked 5 and South Korea ranked 8 of 195 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of world capability · Correlates of War
| Year | Japan | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2.47 | 2 |
| 2021 | 2.58 | 2.11 |
| 2020 | 2.54 | 2.11 |
| 2019 | 2.72 | 2.19 |
| 2018 | 2.83 | 2.26 |
| 2017 | 2.98 | 2.3 |
| 2016 | 3.3 | 2.33 |
| 2015 | 3.26 | 2.35 |
| 2014 | 3.36 | 2.33 |
| 2013 | 3.55 | 2.27 |
| 2012 | 3.55 | 2.32 |
| 2011 | 3.61 | 2.33 |
| 2010 | 3.7 | 2.24 |
| 2009 | 3.6 | 2.2 |
| 2008 | 3.93 | 2.25 |
| 2007 | 3.99 | 2.3 |
| 2006 | 4.14 | 2.32 |
| 2005 | 4.33 | 2.34 |
| 2004 | 4.5 | 2.32 |
| 2003 | 4.7 | 2.35 |
| 2002 | 4.86 | 2.42 |
| 2001 | 4.71 | 2.32 |
| 2000 | 4.99 | 2.34 |
| 1999 | 4.82 | 2.34 |
| 1998 | 4.85 | 2.31 |
| 1997 | 5.11 | 2.46 |
| 1996 | 5.21 | 2.43 |
| 1995 | 5.43 | 2.4 |
| 1994 | 5.44 | 2.32 |
| 1993 | 5.48 | 2.31 |
| 1992 | 5.42 | 2.2 |
| 1991 | 5.44 | 2.06 |
| 1990 | 5.08 | 1.79 |
| 1989 | 5.16 | 1.79 |
| 1988 | 4.98 | 1.65 |
| 1987 | 4.91 | 1.59 |
| 1986 | 4.98 | 1.55 |
| 1985 | 5.06 | 1.54 |
| 1984 | 5.11 | 1.53 |
| 1983 | 5.06 | 1.52 |
| 1982 | 5.24 | 1.53 |
| 1981 | 5.15 | 1.47 |
| 1980 | 5.36 | 1.39 |
| 1979 | 5.39 | 1.2 |
| 1978 | 5.24 | 1.11 |
| 1977 | 5.4 | 1.09 |
| 1976 | 5.53 | 1.05 |
| 1975 | 5.57 | 1.02 |
| 1974 | 5.75 | 1 |
| 1973 | 5.88 | 1 |
| 1972 | 5.41 | 0.97 |
| 1971 | 5.37 | 0.94 |
| 1970 | 5.4 | 0.91 |
| 1969 | 5.18 | 0.87 |
| 1968 | 4.88 | 0.86 |
| 1967 | 4.81 | 0.85 |
| 1966 | 4.32 | 0.84 |
| 1965 | 4.11 | 0.91 |
| 1964 | 4.16 | 0.89 |
| 1963 | 3.96 | 0.92 |
| 1962 | 3.84 | 0.91 |
| 1961 | 3.93 | 0.89 |
| 1960 | 3.63 | 0.93 |
| 1959 | 3.47 | 0.94 |
| 1958 | 3.33 | 0.93 |
| 1957 | 3.29 | 0.91 |
| 1956 | 3.15 | 0.89 |
| 1955 | 3 | 0.93 |
| 1954 | 3.11 | 0.85 |
| 1953 | 3.02 | 0.76 |
| 1952 | 2.95 | 0.62 |
| 1951 | – | 0.54 |
| 1950 | – | 0.47 |
| 1949 | – | 0.44 |
| 1945 | 5.29 | – |
| 1944 | 6.71 | – |
| 1943 | 6.02 | – |
| 1942 | 6.14 | – |
| 1941 | 6.66 | – |
| 1940 | 5.07 | – |
| 1939 | 5.91 | – |
| 1938 | 5.91 | – |
| 1937 | 5.34 | – |
| 1936 | 4.63 | – |
| 1935 | 4.68 | – |
| 1934 | 4.93 | – |
| 1933 | 4.92 | – |
| 1932 | 4.89 | – |
| 1931 | 4.11 | – |
| 1930 | 3.99 | – |
| 1929 | 3.97 | – |
| 1928 | 3.97 | – |
| 1927 | 4.02 | – |
| 1926 | 4.07 | – |
| 1925 | 3.97 | – |
| 1924 | 4.21 | – |
| 1923 | 3.97 | – |
| 1922 | 4.09 | – |
| 1921 | 4.25 | – |
| 1920 | 4.08 | – |
| 1919 | 3.48 | – |
| 1918 | 2.93 | – |
| 1917 | 2.84 | – |
| 1916 | 2.71 | – |
| 1915 | 2.68 | – |
| 1914 | 3.16 | – |
| 1913 | 3.36 | – |
| 1912 | 3.51 | – |
| 1911 | 3.51 | – |
| 1910 | 3.5 | – |
| 1909 | 3.44 | – |
| 1908 | 3.67 | – |
| 1907 | 3.64 | – |
| 1906 | 4.19 | – |
| 1905 | 4.85 | – |
| 1904 | 5.45 | – |
| 1903 | 3.23 | – |
| 1902 | 2.87 | – |
| 1901 | 2.89 | – |
| 1900 | 2.89 | – |
| 1899 | 2.83 | – |
| 1898 | 2.84 | – |
| 1897 | 2.77 | – |
| 1896 | 2.47 | – |
| 1895 | 3.12 | – |
| 1894 | 2.83 | – |
| 1893 | 1.98 | – |
| 1892 | 2.04 | – |
| 1891 | 2.17 | – |
| 1890 | 2.14 | – |
| 1889 | 2.14 | – |
| 1888 | 2.09 | – |
| 1887 | 2.15 | – |
| 1886 | 2.15 | – |
| 1885 | 2.04 | – |
| 1884 | 2.07 | – |
| 1883 | 2.09 | – |
| 1882 | 2.05 | – |
| 1881 | 2.06 | – |
| 1880 | 2.1 | – |
| 1879 | 2.12 | – |
| 1878 | 2.05 | – |
| 1877 | 2.06 | – |
| 1876 | 2.11 | – |
| 1875 | 2.23 | – |
| 1874 | 2.27 | – |
| 1873 | 2.24 | – |
| 1872 | 2.2 | – |
| 1871 | 2.02 | – |
| 1870 | 1.99 | – |
| 1869 | 2.05 | – |
| 1868 | 2.08 | – |
| 1867 | 2.39 | – |
| 1866 | 2.44 | – |
| 1865 | 2.42 | – |
| 1864 | 2.42 | – |
| 1863 | 2.43 | – |
| 1862 | 2.48 | – |
| 1861 | 2.43 | – |
| 1860 | 2.51 | – |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The Correlates of War’s Composite Index of National Capability: the country’s share of the world’s military spending, soldiers, iron and steel, energy use, people and city dwellers, averaged.
- Source: 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 195 countries with a value in 2022, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Japan vs South Korea
Health
- Life expectancyJapan: 84.7 years in 2023South Korea: 84.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityJapan: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024South Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityJapan: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterJapan: 98.7% in 2022South Korea: 99.3% in 2022
- DepressionJapan: 3.34% in 2017South Korea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide rateJapan: 15.7 per 100,000 people in 2017South Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationJapan: 124 million people in 2023South Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023
- Population growthJapan: -0.48% a year in 2023South Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateJapan: 1.21 births per woman in 2023South Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationJapan: 92.3% in 2025South Korea: 81.2% in 2025
- Median ageJapan: 49 years in 2023South Korea: 44.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overJapan: 29.6% in 2023South Korea: 18.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateJapan: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023South Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingJapan: 1.41% of GDP in 2025South Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsJapan: $59.5B in 2025South Korea: $48.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personJapan: $504 in 2025South Korea: $924 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingJapan: 3.8% of government spending in 2025South Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelJapan: 261,000 people in 2020South Korea: 569,000 people in 2020
- Armed forces, share of workersJapan: 0.38% of the labour force in 2020South Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsJapan: 1.72 billion TIV in 2025South Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsJapan: 28 million TIV in 2025South Korea: 2.02 billion TIV in 2025