Japan vs India
Side-by-side economic and demographic comparison · 2026 data · Source: IMF & World Bank
Japan and India represent aging wealth versus youthful growth. Japan's economy was built during the postwar miracle of 1950-1990 and has since stagnated, while India is in the early stages of its own transformation. India's population (1.4 billion) dwarfs Japan's (125 million), but Japan's GDP per capita is roughly 30 times higher. Japan is one of India's largest foreign investors and development aid donors, and the two countries have deepened strategic ties as a counterweight to China. India's IT services sector exports heavily to Japan, and Japanese companies like Suzuki dominate India's automotive market.
Japan has a GDP of $4.46T compared to India's $4.51T, making it 1.0x smaller. Japan's population is 124.0M vs India's 1.45B. Across 12 key indicators, India leads in 7 categories. All data sourced from the IMF World Economic Outlook and World Bank World Development Indicators.
| Indicator |  Japan |  India |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $4.46T | $4.51T✓ |
| GDP per Capita | $36,391✓ | $3,051 |
| GDP Growth (%) | 0.6% | 6.2%✓ |
| GDP per Capita (PPP) | $56,444✓ | $12,964 |
| Population | 124.0M | 1.45B✓ |
| Life Expectancy | 84.0 years✓ | 72.0 years |
| Inflation (%) | 2.1%✓ | 4.0% |
| Unemployment (%) | 2.6%✓ | 4.9% |
| Govt Debt (% GDP) | 226.8% | 80.8%✓ |
| Fertility Rate | 1.2 | 2✓ |
| Gini Index | 32.3 | 25.5✓ |
| CO₂ per Capita (t) | 7.8 | 2.2✓ |
Summary
Japan has a GDP of $4.46T compared to India's $4.51T, making the latter economy 1.0x larger. In terms of population, Japan has 124.0M people while India has 1.45B. Across the 12 indicators compared, Japan leads in 5 and India leads in 7.