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

Japan vs Republic of Korea: population pyramids in 1961

1961Swap

JapanRepublic of Korea

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 Republic of Korea compared

In 1961, Japan has a population of 96.8 million and the Republic of Korea 26.5 million; Japan is about 3.6 times the size of the Republic of Korea.

The share aged 65 and over is 5.8% in Japan and 3.1% in the Republic of Korea, 2.7 points higher in Japan. The median age is 25.9 years in Japan and 19.3 years in the Republic of Korea.

The total fertility rate is 1.93 in Japan and 5.80 in the Republic of Korea, so only Japan is below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 68.4 years in Japan and 54.4 years in the Republic of Korea.

By 2050, the population of Japan is projected to grow by 8.5% and that of the Republic of Korea to grow by 70.8% compared with 1961.

GDP per person is $36K in Japan (2025) and $36K in the Republic of Korea (2025).

Key figures (1961)

JapanRepublic of Korea
Population96.8 million26.5 million
Aged 0–1429.7%41.5%
Aged 15–6464.5%55.4%
Aged 65+5.8%3.1%
Median age25.9 yrs19.3 yrs
Old-age dependency9.05.7
Total fertility rate1.935.80
Life expectancy68.4 yrs54.4 yrs
Population growth+0.88%+2.49%
Net migration (per year)-58,882-93,179
GDP$4.44T (2025)$1.87T (2025)
GDP per person$36K (2025)$36K (2025)
Unemployment2.5% (2025)2.7% (2025)

Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.

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