Land Area
India
3,287,263 km²
Largest
Japan
377,975 km²
11.5% of largest
India is 8.70× larger than Japan
Population
India
LARGEST
1.42B
PEOPLE
Japan
8.9% OF LARGEST
125.7M
PEOPLE
India has 11.27× the population of Japan
GDP
Japan
LARGEST
$4.23T
India
88.3% OF LARGEST
$3.74T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
India
LARGEST
1.45M
TROOPS
Japan
17.1% OF LARGEST
247.15K
TROOPS
India has 5.85× the active personnel of Japan
Air Force
India
LARGEST
2.18K
AIRCRAFT
Japan
66.4% OF LARGEST
1.45K
AIRCRAFT
India has 1.51× the aircraft of Japan
Naval Assets
India
Japan
Wealth
Gold Reserves
India
LARGEST
876.2
Metric Tonnes
Japan
96.6% OF LARGEST
846.0
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
Japan
LARGEST
$1.16T
Reserves · excl. gold
India
49.1% OF LARGEST
$570B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
India
MOST
200
billionaires
Japan
21% OF MOST
41
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
India
LARGEST
4.5
Billion barrels
Japan
0.9% OF LARGEST
0.0
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
India
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.7M b/d
Consumption
5.3M b/d
−4.6M b/d net
Japan
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.0M b/d
Consumption
3.3M b/d
−3.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
India
$827.4B
Exports
$827.4B
Imports
$918.3B
Trade Balance
$-90.9B
Trade Deficit
Japan
$917.0B
Exports
$917.0B
Imports
$952.0B
Trade Balance
$-35.0B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Japan
consumption
India
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
Japan
consumption
India
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
Japan
consumption
India
supply
Wine
litres / person / yr
Japan
consumption
India
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Japan
consumption
India
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
Japan
India
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
Japan
211
Gold
198
Silver
235
Bronze
644
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 544
❄ Winter: 100
India
10
Gold
10
Silver
21
Bronze
41
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 41
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
India
Japan
Age Demographics
Median Age
Japan
48.6
YEARS
10
30
50
70
India
28.2
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
Japan is 20.4 years older (median) than India
Youth Population
India has the highest youth population at 52.5% (under 30)
Elderly Population
Japan has the highest elderly population at 34.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
India
|
Japan
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
62
|
193
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
17.9M
|
25.1M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
12
|
29
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
0
|
26
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
India
|
Japan
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $3 | $9 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $15 | $45 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $250 | $1,000 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $150 | $650 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $35 | $130 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $12 | $35 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $15 | $90 |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | India | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1417200000 | 125700000 |
| Area (sq km) | 3287263 | 377975 |
| Capital | New Delhi | Tokyo |
| Official Language | Hindi and English (official), 21 other scheduled languages | Japanese |
| Currency | Indian Rupee (INR) | Japanese Yen (JPY) |
| Government Type | Federal parliamentary constitutional republic | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Military Strength
| Metric | India | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 1,445,000 | 247,150 |
| Reserve Personnel | 1,155,000 | 56,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,610,550 | 303,150 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $81,400,000,000 | $49,100,000,000 |
| Tanks | 4,614 | 579 |
| Armored Vehicles | 12,000 | 3,137 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 100 | 166 |
| Towed Artillery | 4,175 | 492 |
| Rocket Projectors | 266 | 99 |
Economy
| Metric | India | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $3,736,900,000,000 | $4,231,100,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $2,637 | $33,660 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 7.8% | 2.6% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 35.7 | 32.9 |
| Currency | Indian Rupee (INR) | Japanese Yen (JPY) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| India Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 0.5839 Weaker |
| Japan Currency | 1.7126 Stronger | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | INR | JPY |
| 1 USD equals | 94.4628 INR Updated: 2026-06-27 | 161.7789 JPY Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
India is 8.7 times larger in area than Japan.
India has 11.3 times more people than Japan.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
Japan has the highest GDP per capita at $33,660 among the selected countries.
Japan has the largest economy with a GDP of
$4.23 trillion.
India has the largest active military personnel with 1,445,000 troops.
India has the largest air force with 2,182 aircraft.
India has the largest navy with 295 vessels.
India Fact: India has the world's largest film industry, producing over 1,800 films annually, more than twice Hollywood's output.
India vs Japan: Key Comparisons
Economy: Japan's GDP of $4.2T is 1.1x larger than India's $3.7T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: India's population of 1.4B is 11.3x larger than Japan's 126M.
Area: India covers 3,287,263 km², making it 8.7x larger than Japan.
Military: India fields 1.4Million active troops vs Japan's 250Thousand.
Trade: India has a trade deficit of $91B while Japan has a trade deficit of $35B.
Life Expectancy: Japan leads with a life expectancy of 85 years vs India's 71.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology