Japan vs Korea, Rep.
Side-by-side economic and demographic comparison · 2026 data · Source: IMF & World Bank
Japan and South Korea share remarkable economic parallels: both are highly developed East Asian economies built on export-oriented manufacturing, with strong automotive and electronics sectors. Japan's economy is roughly three times larger, but South Korea has grown much faster over the past three decades, narrowing the per-capita income gap significantly. South Korea now leads in semiconductor manufacturing (Samsung, SK Hynix) and has a younger population, while Japan has deeper capital markets and more diversified industrial conglomerates. Both countries face severe demographic headwinds — South Korea's fertility rate (below 0.8) is now lower than Japan's.
Japan has a GDP of $4.46T compared to Korea, Rep.'s $1.94T, making it 2.3x larger. Japan's population is 124.0M vs Korea, Rep.'s 51.8M. Across 12 key indicators, Japan leads in 7 categories. All data sourced from the IMF World Economic Outlook and World Bank World Development Indicators.
| Indicator |  Japan |  Korea, Rep. |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $4.46T✓ | $1.94T |
| GDP per Capita | $36,391 | $37,523✓ |
| GDP Growth (%) | 0.6% | 1.8%✓ |
| GDP per Capita (PPP) | $56,444 | $67,554✓ |
| Population | 124.0M✓ | 51.8M |
| Life Expectancy | 84.0 years✓ | 83.4 years |
| Inflation (%) | 2.1% | 1.8%✓ |
| Unemployment (%) | 2.6%✓ | 3.0% |
| Govt Debt (% GDP) | 226.8% | 56.7%✓ |
| Fertility Rate | 1.2✓ | 0.7 |
| Gini Index | 32.3✓ | 32.9 |
| CO₂ per Capita (t) | 7.8✓ | 11.4 |
Summary
Japan has a GDP of $4.46T compared to Korea, Rep.'s $1.94T, making the former economy 2.3x larger. In terms of population, Japan has 124.0M people while Korea, Rep. has 51.8M. Across the 12 indicators compared, Japan leads in 7 and Korea, Rep. leads in 5.
JapanKorea, Rep.