Country comparison
China
Asia · CNY
Japan
Asia · JPY
Side-by-side levels, gaps, and history — no winner badges.
Key takeaways
- China has the larger nominal GDP in this set (18.50 vs 4.00 USD tn) — Japan is about 22% of that level.
- On latest GDP growth, China prints 4.8% vs 0.8% for Japan.
- GDP per capita is higher in Japan than China (33,000 vs 13,100 USD).
- China has the larger population versus Japan in this snapshot.
- Consumer inflation runs higher in Japan (2.6%) than China (0.6%).
- Government debt / GDP is 255% in Japan vs 88% in China.
- Figures are illustrative MVP snapshots with source metadata — not a scoreboard. Open any metric for a focused historical chart.
At a glance
| Metric | 🇨🇳 China | 🇯🇵 Japan | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $18.50 tn | $4.00 tn | $14.50 tn |
| GDP Growth | 4.8% | 0.8% | 4.0% |
| GDP / Capita | $13,100 | $33,000 | $-19,900 |
| Population | 1410.0M | 123.5M | 1286.5M |
| Inflation | 0.6% | 2.6% | -2.0% |
| Unemployment | 5.1% | 2.5% | 2.6% |
| Interest Rate | 3.1% | 0.5% | 2.6% |
| Gov. Debt | 88.0% of GDP | 255.0% of GDP | -167.0% of GDP |
| FX Reserves | $3300 bn | $1250 bn | $2050 bn |
| Gold Reserves | 2,264 t | 846 t | 1,418 t |
Economy
Gross Domestic Product
Nominal GDP in current US dollars — the broadest measure of economic output.
China
$18.50 tn
Japan
$4.00 tn
Gap (A − B)
$14.50 tn
+362.5% vs B
GDP Growth
Annual real GDP growth rate.
China
4.8%
Japan
0.8%
Gap (A − B)
4.0%
+500.0% vs B
GDP Per Capita
Nominal GDP divided by mid-year population.
China
$13,100
Japan
$33,000
Gap (A − B)
$-19,900
-60.3% vs B
Population
Population
Total mid-year population.
China
1410.0M
Japan
123.5M
Gap (A − B)
1286.5M
+1041.7% vs B
Employment
Unemployment Rate
Share of the labour force that is unemployed.
China
5.1%
Japan
2.5%
Gap (A − B)
2.6%
+104.0% vs B
Government
Government Debt
General government gross debt as a share of GDP.
China
88.0% of GDP
Japan
255.0% of GDP
Gap (A − B)
-167.0% of GDP
-65.5% vs B
Currency
Policy Interest Rate
Central bank main policy / target rate.
China
3.1%
Japan
0.5%
Gap (A − B)
2.6%
+520.0% vs B
Inflation (CPI)
Year-over-year consumer price inflation.
China
0.6%
Japan
2.6%
Gap (A − B)
-2.0%
-76.9% vs B
Reserves
Foreign Exchange Reserves
Total foreign exchange reserves excluding gold, USD.
China
$3300 bn
Japan
$1250 bn
Gap (A − B)
$2050 bn
+164.0% vs B
Gold Reserves
Official gold holdings of the monetary authority.
China
2,264 t
Japan
846 t
Gap (A − B)
1,418 t
+167.6% vs B