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

Japan vs China: population pyramids in 1950

◀1950Swap

JapanChina

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.

Japan and China compared

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

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

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

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

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

Key figures (1950)

JapanChina
Population85.7 million539.2 million
Aged 0–1435.3%34.5%
Aged 15–6459.8%60.4%
Aged 65+4.9%5.1%
Median age22.2 yrs23.4 yrs
Old-age dependency8.28.5
Total fertility rate3.625.81
Life expectancy59.2 yrs43.8 yrs
Population growth+1.73%+1.79%
Net migration (per year)-24,997-20,646
GDP$4.44T (2025)$19.5T (2025)
GDP per person$36K (2025)$14K (2025)
Unemployment2.5% (2025)4.6% (2025)

Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.

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