Japan vs South Africa: Population aged 15-24 years (thousands)
Japan
11,776 thousands
in 2025
South Africa
10,513 thousands
in 2025
Japan rank
20th
South Africa rank
22nd
Population aged 15-24 years (thousands) over time
- Japan
- South Africa
How they compare
Japan currently reports 11,776 thousands against 10,513 thousands in South Africa, a difference of 1,263 thousands.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
Across all 56 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 22nd of 233 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18,155 thousands | 4,807 thousands | 13,348 thousands | Japan |
| 1980s | 16,621 thousands | 6,579 thousands | 10,042 thousands | Japan |
| 1990s | 18,508 thousands | 8,375 thousands | 10,133 thousands | Japan |
| 2000s | 14,168 thousands | 10,815 thousands | 3,352 thousands | Japan |
| 2010s | 12,072 thousands | 10,732 thousands | 1,340 thousands | Japan |
| 2020s | 11,826 thousands | 10,352 thousands | 1,475 thousands | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population aged 15-24 years, Japan or South Africa?
- Japan, at 11,776 thousands against 10,513 thousands in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population aged 15-24 years between Japan and South Africa?
- 1,263 thousands, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Africa?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Japan and South Africa rank globally for population aged 15-24 years?
- Japan ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 22nd of 233 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Population aged 15-24 years (thousands). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release