Compare
Japan vs United Kingdom
How Japan and United Kingdom compare on 38 measures, from 1789 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, Japan was higher: 84.7 years against 81.3 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, United Kingdom was higher: $48,420 against $38,620
- Population · In 2023, Japan was higher: 124 million people against 68.7 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, United Kingdom was higher: 2.35% of GDP against 1.41% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, Japan was higher: 7.84 tonnes against 4.22 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyJapan: 84.7 years in 2023United Kingdom: 81.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityJapan: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024United Kingdom: 0.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityJapan: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023United Kingdom: 3.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterJapan: 98.7% in 2022United Kingdom: 99.8% in 2022
- DepressionJapan: 3.34% in 2017United Kingdom: 4.12% in 2017
- Suicide rateJapan: 15.7 per 100,000 people in 2017United Kingdom: 7.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationJapan: 124 million people in 2023United Kingdom: 68.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthJapan: -0.48% a year in 2023United Kingdom: 0.7% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateJapan: 1.21 births per woman in 2023United Kingdom: 1.56 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationJapan: 92.3% in 2025United Kingdom: 83.3% in 2025
- Median ageJapan: 49 years in 2023United Kingdom: 39.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overJapan: 29.6% in 2023United Kingdom: 19.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateJapan: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023United Kingdom: 6.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingJapan: 1.41% of GDP in 2025United Kingdom: 2.35% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsJapan: $59.5B in 2025United Kingdom: $88B in 2025
- Military spending per personJapan: $504 in 2025United Kingdom: $1,283 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingJapan: 3.8% of government spending in 2025United Kingdom: 5.4% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelJapan: 261,000 people in 2020United Kingdom: 153,000 people in 2020
- National powerJapan: 2.47% of world capability in 2022United Kingdom: 1.25% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersJapan: 0.38% of the labour force in 2020United Kingdom: 0.45% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsJapan: 1.72 billion TIV in 2025United Kingdom: 609 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsJapan: 28 million TIV in 2025United Kingdom: 702 million TIV in 2025
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, WHO/UNICEF, IHME, World Bank, IMF, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, EDGAR, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time