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

China vs Japan: population pyramids in 1950

◀1950Swap

ChinaJapan

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.

China and Japan compared

In 1950, China has a population of 539.2 million and Japan 85.7 million; China is about 6.3 times the size of Japan.

The share aged 65 and over is 5.1% in China and 4.9% in Japan, almost the same. The median age is 23.4 years in China and 22.2 years in Japan.

The total fertility rate is 5.81 in China and 3.62 in Japan, both above the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 43.8 years in China and 59.2 years in Japan.

By 2050, the population of China is projected to grow by 134.6% and that of Japan to grow by 22.6% compared with 1950.

GDP per person is $14K in China (2025) and $36K in Japan (2025).

Key figures (1950)

ChinaJapan
Population539.2 million85.7 million
Aged 0–1434.5%35.3%
Aged 15–6460.4%59.8%
Aged 65+5.1%4.9%
Median age23.4 yrs22.2 yrs
Old-age dependency8.58.2
Total fertility rate5.813.62
Life expectancy43.8 yrs59.2 yrs
Population growth+1.79%+1.73%
Net migration (per year)-20,646-24,997
GDP$19.5T (2025)$4.44T (2025)
GDP per person$14K (2025)$36K (2025)
Unemployment4.6% (2025)2.5% (2025)

Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.

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