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

Japan vs China, Taiwan Province of China: population pyramids in 1978

1978Swap

JapanChina, Taiwan Province of China

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.

Japan and China, Taiwan Province of China compared

In 1978, Japan has a population of 116.1 million and China, Taiwan Province of China 17.2 million; Japan is about 6.8 times the size of China, Taiwan Province of China.

The share aged 65 and over is 8.5% in Japan and 3.4% in China, Taiwan Province of China, 5.0 points higher in Japan. The median age is 31.4 years in Japan and 21.5 years in China, Taiwan Province of China.

The total fertility rate is 1.79 in Japan and 2.68 in China, Taiwan Province of China, so only Japan is below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 75.7 years in Japan and 71.7 years in China, Taiwan Province of China.

By 2050, the population of Japan is projected to shrink by 9.5% and that of China, Taiwan Province of China to grow by 13.5% compared with 1978.

Key figures (1978)

JapanChina, Taiwan Province of China
Population116.1 million17.2 million
Aged 0–1423.8%34.5%
Aged 15–6467.7%62.0%
Aged 65+8.5%3.4%
Median age31.4 yrs21.5 yrs
Old-age dependency12.55.6
Total fertility rate1.792.68
Life expectancy75.7 yrs71.7 yrs
Population growth+0.84%+2.06%
Net migration (per year)-47,996+17,523
GDP$4.44T (2025)—
GDP per person$36K (2025)—
Unemployment2.5% (2025)—

Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.

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