China vs Japan: Population by age group
China
203.62 million people
in 2023
Japan
36.65 million people
in 2023
China rank
1st
Japan rank
4th
Population by age group over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
China currently reports 203.62 million people against 36.65 million people in Japan, a difference of 166.97 million people.
That makes China's figure about 5.6 times Japan's.
Across all 74 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 4th 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 | 26.75 million people | 4.80 million people | 21.96 million people | China |
| 1960s | 26.77 million people | 6.36 million people | 20.41 million people | China |
| 1970s | 35.70 million people | 8.88 million people | 26.82 million people | China |
| 1980s | 50.82 million people | 12.40 million people | 38.42 million people | China |
| 1990s | 72.97 million people | 18.12 million people | 54.84 million people | China |
| 2000s | 101.93 million people | 25.61 million people | 76.32 million people | China |
| 2010s | 140.29 million people | 33.35 million people | 106.94 million people | China |
| 2020s | 192.16 million people | 36.57 million people | 155.59 million people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population by age group, China or Japan?
- China, at 203.62 million people against 36.65 million people in Japan as of 2023.
- What is the difference in population by age group between China and Japan?
- 166.97 million people, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for population by age group?
- China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 4th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Population by age group. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 65+.