Japan vs Korea, Rep.

Japan
East Asia & Pacific
High income
Capital: Tokyo
Population
124M
GDP
$4.0T
Korea, Rep.
East Asia & Pacific
High income
Capital: Seoul
Population
51.8M
GDP
$1.9T

POP 2.4x GDP 2.1x LE 0.4 yrs same-band HIC

Widest indicator spreads · Japan vs Korea, Rep.

GDP Growth Rate94.8%PPP Conversion Factor (G…88.3%Stunting Prevalence (und…87.3%Poverty (< $2.15/day)83.3%Renewable Energy Consump…59.1%Freshwater Withdrawal58.8%Population58.3%GDP (Current USD)53.4%
MID pair: GDP Growth Rate is the opener; totals are closer than rates on same-band HIC.

Demographics: Population (Japan, 58% spread)

Indicator Japan Korea, Rep. Year
Population 124M 51.8M 2024
Population Growth Rate -0.4% 0.1% 2024
Fertility Rate 1.2 0.7 2023
Population Density 341.5 529.8 2023

3 closer demographics rows sit on the Japan and Korea, Rep. profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Economy: GDP Growth Rate (Korea, Rep., 95% spread)

Indicator Japan Korea, Rep. Year
GDP Growth Rate 0.1% 2.0% 2024
GDP (Current USD) $4.0T $1.9T 2024
Trade (% of GDP) 46.4% 84.6% 2024
Inflation (Consumer Prices) 2.7% 2.3% 2024

5 closer economy rows sit on the Japan and Korea, Rep. profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Health: Stunting Prevalence (under 5) (Japan, 87% spread)

Indicator Japan Korea, Rep. Year
Stunting Prevalence (under 5) 7.1% 0.9% 2010
Maternal Mortality Ratio 3 4 2023
Infant Mortality Rate 1.8 2.3 2024
Health Expenditure (% of GDP) 10.7% 8.7% 2023

3 closer health rows sit on the Japan and Korea, Rep. profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Education: Education Expenditure (% of GDP) (Korea, Rep., 43% spread)

Indicator Japan Korea, Rep. Year
Education Expenditure (% of GDP) 3.3% 5.8% 2021
School Enrollment (Tertiary) 64.9% 111.9% 2023

4 closer education rows sit on the Japan and Korea, Rep. profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Environment: Renewable Energy Consumption (Japan, 59% spread)

Indicator Japan Korea, Rep. Year
Renewable Energy Consumption 8.8% 3.6% 2021
Freshwater Withdrawal 18.5% 45.0% 2022
Electric Power Consumption 7,530 11,350 2024
CO2 Emissions Per Capita 7.8 11.4 2024

1 closer environment rows sit on the Japan and Korea, Rep. profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Infrastructure: Internet Users (Korea, Rep., 13% spread)

Indicator Japan Korea, Rep. Year
Internet Users 85.5% 97.9% 2024
Mobile Subscriptions 178.4 172.5 2023

3 closer infrastructure rows sit on the Japan and Korea, Rep. profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Social: Poverty (< $2.15/day) (Korea, Rep., 83% spread)

Indicator Japan Korea, Rep. Year
Poverty (< $2.15/day) 1.2% 0.2% 2020
Net Migration 153.4K 76K 2024
Intentional Homicides 0.2 0.5 2023

3 closer social rows sit on the Japan and Korea, Rep. profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Labor & Wages: PPP Conversion Factor (GDP) (Korea, Rep., 88% spread)

Indicator Japan Korea, Rep. Year
PPP Conversion Factor (GDP) 94.5 809.3 2024

2 closer labor & wages rows sit on the Japan and Korea, Rep. profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

How to read this Japan vs Korea, Rep. comparison

Japan (HIC) and Korea, Rep. (HIC) sit in a MID-spread band on this curated board (same-band HIC). Population is 2.4x larger; GDP is 2.1x larger. Open with GDP Growth Rate (~95%) before the 8-topic tables (48 rows). Both in East Asia & Pacific, so regional peers are a fair control. Figures may come from different reporting years; dollar values move with exchange rates; national averages conceal inequality. See our methodology.

Other curated pairs · MID band

Indexable comparisons only (Module 42). Full picker with every country lives on /compare, not duplicated under every pair.

Japan vs Korea, Rep. figures: World Bank Open Data and health rows: WHO Global Health Observatory. CC BY 4.0 · same-band HIC · MID scale band.