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

Japan vs China: population pyramids in 1953

1953Swap

JapanChina

3%2%1%0%1%2%3%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 1953, Japan has a population of 89.8 million and China 571.6 million; China is about 6.4 times the size of Japan.

The share aged 65 and over is 5.1% in Japan and 4.7% in China, almost the same. The median age is 22.9 years in Japan and 22.4 years in China.

The total fertility rate is 2.67 in Japan and 6.04 in China, both above the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 63.3 years in Japan and 45.9 years in China.

By 2050, the population of Japan is projected to grow by 17.0% and that of China to grow by 121.3% compared with 1953.

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

Key figures (1953)

JapanChina
Population89.8 million571.6 million
Aged 0–1434.4%36.4%
Aged 15–6460.6%58.9%
Aged 65+5.1%4.7%
Median age22.9 yrs22.4 yrs
Old-age dependency8.48.0
Total fertility rate2.676.04
Life expectancy63.3 yrs45.9 yrs
Population growth+1.25%+2.05%
Net migration (per year)-28,238-5,792
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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