Compare Countries
Select up to 4 countries for side-by-side comparison
Introduction
| Field |
Japan |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Background | <p>In 1603, after decades of civil warfare, the Tokugawa shogunate (a military-led, dynastic government) ushered in a long period of relative political stability and isolation from foreign influence. For more than two centuries, this policy enabled Japan to enjoy a flowering of its indigenous cultur... | <p>The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the cla... |
Geography
| Field |
Japan |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula | Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan |
| Area | 377,915 sq km | 3,287,263 sq km |
| Climate | varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north | varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north |
| Terrain | mostly rugged and mountainous | upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north |
| Natural resources | negligible mineral resources, fish | coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), antimony, iron ore, lead, manganese, mica, bauxite, rare earth elements, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land |
| Elevation | Mount Fuji 3,776 m | Kanchenjunga 8,586 m |
People and Society
| Field |
Japan |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 123,201,945 (2024 est.) | 1,419,316,933 (2025 est.) |
| Languages | 1 | Hindi 43.6%, Bengali 8%, Marathi 6.9%, Telugu 6.7%, Tamil 5.7%, Gujarati 4.6%, Urdu 4.2%, Kannada 3.6%, Odia 3.1%, Malayalam 2.9%, Punjabi 2.7%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.1%, other 5.6%; English is the subsidiary official language but is the most important one for national, political, and comm... |
| Religions | Shintoism 48.6%, Buddhism 46.4%, Christianity 1.1%, other 4% (2021 est.) | Hindu 79.8%, Muslim 14.2%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.7%, other and unspecified 2% (2011 est.) |
| Age structure | 12.1% (male 7,701,196/female 7,239,389) | 24.5% (male 181,115,052/female 163,647,028) |
| Median age | 50.2 years (2025 est.) | 30.1 years (2025 est.) |
| Population growth rate | -0.45% (2025 est.) | 0.72% (2025 est.) |
| Birth rate | 6.84 births/1,000 population (2025 est.) | 15.91 births/1,000 population (2025 est.) |
| Death rate | 12.04 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.) | 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 85.2 years (2024 est.) | 68.2 years (2024 est.) |
| Literacy | — | 81.7% (2023 est.) |
Government
| Field |
Japan |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Government type | parliamentary constitutional monarchy | federal parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Tokyo | New Delhi |
| Independence | 3 May 1947 (current constitution adopted as amendment to Meiji Constitution); notable earlier dates: 11 February 660 B.C. (mythological date of Emperor JIMMU founding the nation); 29 November 1890 (Meiji Constitution provides for constitutional monarchy) | 15 August 1947 (from the UK) |
| Constitution | previous 1890; latest approved 6 October 1946, adopted 3 November 1946, effective 3 May 1947 | previous 1935 (pre-independence); latest draft completed 4 November 1949, adopted 26 November 1949, effective 26 January 1950 |
| Legal system | civil law system based on German model; also reflects Anglo-American influence and Japanese traditions; Supreme Court reviews legislative acts | common law system based on the English model; separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus; judicial review of legislative acts |
Economy
| Field |
Japan |
India |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | — | — |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | — | — |
| GDP - real growth rate | — | — |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.74% | 4.95% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.45% | 4.22% |
| Industries | motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods | textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software, pharmaceuticals |
| Agriculture - products | — | — |
| Exports | $917.04 billion | $827.41 billion |
| Imports | $952.04 billion | $918.33 billion |
| Public debt | 215.9% of GDP (2022 est.) | 46.5% of GDP (2018 est.) |
Communications
| Field |
Japan |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 219 million (2023 est.) | 1.15 billion (2024 est.) |
| Internet users | 87% (2023 est.) | 56% (2022 est.) |
Military and Security
| Field |
Japan |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 1 % of GDP | 2 % of GDP |
| Military and security forces | Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF): Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jieitai, GSDF; includes aviation), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jieitai, MSDF; includes naval aviation), Air Self-Defense Force (Koukuu Jieitai, ASDF) (2025) | Indian Armed Forces (IAF): Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard<br><br>Ministry of Home Affairs: Central Police Organization, Central Armed Police Forces (includes Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National... |
Transportation
| Field |
Japan |
India |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 280 (2025) | 315 (2025) |
| Railways | 27,311 km (2015) | 65,554 km (2014) |
| Roadways | — | — |