Japan vs Russia: Total population
Japan
123,435 thousands
in 2025
Russia
144,435 thousands
in 2025
Japan rank
12th
Russia rank
9th
Total population over time
- Japan
- Russia
How they compare
Russia currently reports 144,435 thousands against 123,435 thousands in Japan, a difference of 21,000 thousands.
That makes Russia's figure about 1.2 times Japan's.
Across all 56 years both countries report, Russia has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 12th and Russia ranks 9th of 230 countries.
Russia has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | Russia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 111,808 thousands | 133,482 thousands | 21,674 thousands | Russia |
| 1980s | 120,414 thousands | 142,691 thousands | 22,277 thousands | Russia |
| 1990s | 125,119 thousands | 148,363 thousands | 23,244 thousands | Russia |
| 2000s | 127,696 thousands | 145,150 thousands | 17,454 thousands | Russia |
| 2010s | 127,535 thousands | 145,072 thousands | 17,538 thousands | Russia |
| 2020s | 125,018 thousands | 145,590 thousands | 20,572 thousands | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher total population, Japan or Russia?
- Russia, at 144,435 thousands against 123,435 thousands in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in total population between Japan and Russia?
- 21,000 thousands, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Russia?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Japan and Russia rank globally for total population?
- Japan ranks 12th and Russia ranks 9th of 230 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Total population (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