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

China vs Japan: population pyramids in 1991

1991Swap

ChinaJapan

1.5%1%0.5%0%0.5%1%1.5%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 1991, China has a population of 1.16 billion and Japan 123.6 million; China is about 9.4 times the size of Japan.

The share aged 65 and over is 5.4% in China and 12.4% in Japan, 7.0 points higher in Japan. The median age is 24.9 years in China and 38.1 years in Japan.

The total fertility rate is 1.93 in China and 1.50 in Japan, both below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 68.6 years in China and 79.3 years in Japan.

By 2050, the population of China is projected to grow by 8.7% and that of Japan to shrink by 15.0% compared with 1991.

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

Key figures (1991)

ChinaJapan
Population1.16 billion123.6 million
Aged 0–1428.8%17.7%
Aged 15–6465.8%69.9%
Aged 65+5.4%12.4%
Median age24.9 yrs38.1 yrs
Old-age dependency8.217.7
Total fertility rate1.931.50
Life expectancy68.6 yrs79.3 yrs
Population growth+1.22%+0.41%
Net migration (per year)-544,650+161,331
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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