sports
Sumo wrestling, Japan's national sport, has roots that trace back over 1,500 years and combines Shinto ritual with athletic competition.
Japan
Japan
Population, GDP, and key facts about Japan — updated for 2026.
Capital · TOKYOContinent · ASIAISO · JPN
Japan quick facts
- Population
- 123,975,371
- Area
- 377,969 km²
- Population density
- 342 people/km²
- GDP
- US$ 4.2 Trillion
- GDP per capita
- US$ 33.8K
- Capital
- Tokyo
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥, JPY)
- Minimum wage
- US$ 1.2K/month · ¥ 182,726/month (2024)
- Language
- Japanese
Japan at human scale
Where does Japan rank in the world?
Compare Japan with other countries
🇯🇵 vs 🇰🇷Compare Japan vs Korea, Rep.2.4× difference in population🇯🇵 vs 🇲🇽Compare Japan vs Mexico1.1× difference in population
Compare Japan with any country →Japan's energy mix
Fossil fuels · 67%Nuclear · 9%Renewables · 24%
- Natural gas33%
- Coal32%
- Solar10%
- Nuclear9%
- Hydropower7%
- Bioenergy5%
- Oil2%
- Wind1%
Share of Japan's own electricity generation by source, 2025. Source: Our World in Data (Ember Yearly Electricity Data and the Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy).
Everything we know about Japan
geography
Japan is made up of 14,125 islands, though the four largest — Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku — account for about 97% of its land area.
Countries near Japan
How many countries do you think Japan could fit?
Pour other countries into Japan's own outline, by real area, and see how many it takes to fill it up.
Fill the Country →Frequently asked questions about Japan
What is the capital of Japan?
The capital of Japan is Tokyo.
What is Japan's population?
Japan has a population of 123,975,371.
What is Japan's GDP per capita?
Japan's GDP per capita is US$ 33.8K.
What is the currency of Japan?
The currency of Japan is the Japanese yen (JPY).
What is the minimum wage in Japan?
Japan's statutory minimum wage is about US$ 1.2K per month (as of 2024) — ¥ 182,726 per month in local currency.
Is Japan bigger than Korea, Rep.?
Japan is about 3.8× the size of Korea, Rep. by land area.
Think you can guess Japan from its silhouette?
Japan is one of the countries in our daily silhouette-guessing game.
Play Guess the Country →Data from the World Bank, updated November 2026.