China vs Japan: Annual change in population

China
-2.59 million people
in 2023
Japan
-626,638 people
in 2023
China rank
235th
Japan rank
234th

Annual change in population over time

  • China
  • Japan
-5.0M05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M195119872023

How they compare

Japan currently reports -626,638 people against -2.59 million people in China, a difference of 1.97 million people.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 73 shared years of data; in 1951 it was China ahead.

China ranks 235th and Japan ranks 234th of 236 countries.

China has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China Japan Difference Ahead
1950s 12.07 million people 1.02 million people 11.05 million people China
1960s 14.94 million people 985,220 people 13.96 million people China
1970s 16.71 million people 1.20 million people 15.51 million people China
1980s 16.47 million people 542,585 people 15.93 million people China
1990s 12.62 million people 385,416 people 12.23 million people China
2000s 8.23 million people 139,090 people 8.10 million people China
2010s 8.10 million people -149,305 people 8.25 million people China
2020s -233,856 people -582,118 people 348,262 people China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher annual change in population, China or Japan?
Japan, at -626,638 people against -2.59 million people in China as of 2023.
What is the difference in annual change in population between China and Japan?
1.97 million people, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
73 years are reported by both, from 1951 to 2023.
How do China and Japan rank globally for annual change in population?
China ranks 235th and Japan ranks 234th of 236 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Annual change in population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Annual change in population
Unit
people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,228 data points, 1951–2023
Last refreshed

Annual change in population, calculated as the difference between population on 1 July of consecutive years.