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Japan

Eastern Asia

Position of Japan on a world map

At a glance

CapitalTokyo
Most common first languageJapanese98% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languageNoneno language has de jure status here
Currencyyen
Drives on theleft
Highest pointMount Fuji3,777 m
Biggest category of goods exportedmanufactured goods82% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports25.3%of everything sold abroad, 2025
TerritoryEntirely islandsno part on a continental mainland · archipelago
Internet domain.jp

Facts about Japan

Japan’s government's gross debt is more than twice the size of its economy — the world's highest ratio.

Source: imf.org · checked 2026-08-08

Japan is the largest foreign holder of US government debt (Treasury securities).

Source: ticdata.treasury.gov · checked 2026-08-08

Japan by the numbers

Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.

MeasureValueRank
PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year.123m (2025)12th
of 209
GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices.$4.44tn (2025)4th
of 203
Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory.365k km² (2023)62nd
of 209
Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations.$55.3bn (2024)10th
of 151
Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined.$921bn (2024)9th
of 180
Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents.222m (2023)6th
of 205
Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive.249k km² (2023)23rd
of 203
Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture.46.1k km² (2023)92nd
of 206
COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes.972 Mt (2024)5th
of 198
Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them.114m (2025)7th
of 209
Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed.84.0 years (2024)10th
of 209
GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population.$35,951 (2025)44th
of 205
Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months.85.5% (2024)80th
of 191
InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods.3.2% (2025)91st
of 182
UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one.2.5% (2025)162nd
of 185
Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas.92.3% (2025)22nd
of 209
Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates.1.15 (2024)196th
of 209
Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces.1.37% of GDP (2024)91st
of 155
Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies.44.9% of GDP (2024)154th
of 183
COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population.7.88 t (2024)27th
of 198
Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1.0.925 (2023)23rd
of 193

Land borders

None. Everything that leaves Japan goes by sea or by air.

Across the water

Close by sea, with no shared land border.

🇨🇳 China🇵🇭 Philippines🇰🇷 South Korea

Japan shares these with other countries

Drives on the left 60Is made up entirely of islands 58Shares no land border 51Is an archipelago 39Is a constitutional monarchy 40Is a member of the g20 19Is a member of the g7 7Mainly exports manufactured goods 83Is in eastern asia 7

Japan in the Daily Ceteris

Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is Japan.

Which country's government owes the most, compared with the size of its economy?

Japan's government debt is worth over twice everything the country produces in a year — the highest ratio on earth. It has not caused a crash because almost all of it is owed to Japanese savers and to Japan's own central bank, rather than to foreign lenders who could walk away. source

Among countries with more than 10 million people, which has the highest life expectancy?

Japan leads at about 85.0 years, ahead of South Korea's 84.5. Hong Kong does better still, at 85.8, but with 7.4 million people it falls below the threshold — and Japan now carries the heaviest old-age dependency ratio of any large economy, which is why longevity shows up in its public finances long before it shows up anywhere else. source

Which country is the largest foreign holder of US government debt (Treasury securities)?

Japan holds about $1.19 trillion of US Treasuries, ahead of the United Kingdom at $863 billion and mainland China at $684 billion — China has been the seller, not the buyer, for a decade now. Japan built the stockpile partly by design: recycling export dollars into Treasuries helps keep the yen weaker and Japanese exports competitive. source

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Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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