Korea, Rep. vs Japan
Side-by-side economic and demographic comparison · 2026 data · Source: IMF & World Bank
South Korea and Japan are East Asia's most advanced economies outside China, with parallel development stories but different timescales. Japan industrialized first, reaching high-income status by the 1970s, while South Korea's transformation came later but was faster. South Korea's semiconductor industry (Samsung, SK Hynix) has surpassed Japan's, and Korean cultural exports (K-pop, Korean cinema) now rival Japan's soft power. Historical tensions over World War II-era issues periodically strain their economic relationship, including a 2019 trade dispute over export controls on semiconductor materials.
Korea, Rep. has a GDP of $1.94T compared to Japan's $4.46T, making it 2.3x smaller. Korea, Rep.'s population is 51.8M vs Japan's 124.0M. 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 |  Korea, Rep. |  Japan |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $1.94T | $4.46T✓ |
| GDP per Capita | $37,523✓ | $36,391 |
| GDP Growth (%) | 1.8%✓ | 0.6% |
| GDP per Capita (PPP) | $67,554✓ | $56,444 |
| Population | 51.8M | 124.0M✓ |
| Life Expectancy | 83.4 years | 84.0 years✓ |
| Inflation (%) | 1.8%✓ | 2.1% |
| Unemployment (%) | 3.0% | 2.6%✓ |
| Govt Debt (% GDP) | 56.7%✓ | 226.8% |
| Fertility Rate | 0.7 | 1.2✓ |
| Gini Index | 32.9 | 32.3✓ |
| CO₂ per Capita (t) | 11.4 | 7.8✓ |
Summary
Korea, Rep. has a GDP of $1.94T compared to Japan's $4.46T, making the latter economy 2.3x larger. In terms of population, Korea, Rep. has 51.8M people while Japan has 124.0M. Across the 12 indicators compared, Korea, Rep. leads in 5 and Japan leads in 7.
Korea, Rep.Japan