World Population PyramidsPopulation pyramids and indicators by country and year日本語

Brazil vs Japan: population pyramids in 1978

1978Swap

BrazilJapan

2%1.5%1%0.5%0%0.5%1%1.5%2%0102030405060708090100MaleFemale

Each bar is the share of the total population at that single year of age (men left, women right), so countries of different sizes can be compared.

Brazil and Japan compared

In 1978, Brazil has a population of 114.2 million and Japan 116.1 million; the two are about the same size.

The share aged 65 and over is 3.4% in Brazil and 8.5% in Japan, 5.1 points higher in Japan. The median age is 19.7 years in Brazil and 31.4 years in Japan.

The total fertility rate is 4.20 in Brazil and 1.79 in Japan, so only Japan is below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 60.9 years in Brazil and 75.7 years in Japan.

By 2050, the population of Brazil is projected to grow by 90.5% and that of Japan to shrink by 9.5% compared with 1978.

GDP per person is $11K in Brazil (2025) and $36K in Japan (2025).

Key figures (1978)

BrazilJapan
Population114.2 million116.1 million
Aged 0–1439.4%23.8%
Aged 15–6457.3%67.7%
Aged 65+3.4%8.5%
Median age19.7 yrs31.4 yrs
Old-age dependency5.912.5
Total fertility rate4.201.79
Life expectancy60.9 yrs75.7 yrs
Population growth+2.38%+0.84%
Net migration (per year)-23,416-47,996
GDP$2.28T (2025)$4.44T (2025)
GDP per person$11K (2025)$36K (2025)
Unemployment6% (2025)2.5% (2025)

Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.

Compare other years