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

Japan vs United States of America: population pyramids in 1988

1988Swap

JapanUnited States of America

1%0.75%0.5%0.25%0%0.25%0.5%0.75%1%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 United States of America compared

In 1988, Japan has a population of 122.2 million and the United States of America 247.2 million; the United States of America is about 2.0 times the size of Japan.

The share aged 65 and over is 11.1% in Japan and 12.0% in the United States of America, 0.9 points higher in the United States of America. The median age is 36.7 years in Japan and 32.2 years in the United States of America.

The total fertility rate is 1.63 in Japan and 1.94 in the United States of America, both below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 78.5 years in Japan and 74.8 years in the United States of America.

By 2050, the population of Japan is projected to shrink by 14.1% and that of the United States of America to grow by 53.8% compared with 1988.

GDP per person is $36K in Japan (2025) and $90K in the United States of America (2025).

Key figures (1988)

JapanUnited States of America
Population122.2 million247.2 million
Aged 0–1419.9%21.3%
Aged 15–6468.9%66.7%
Aged 65+11.1%12.0%
Median age36.7 yrs32.2 yrs
Old-age dependency16.118.1
Total fertility rate1.631.94
Life expectancy78.5 yrs74.8 yrs
Population growth+0.41%+0.90%
Net migration (per year)+51,154+460,778
GDP$4.44T (2025)$30.8T (2025)
GDP per person$36K (2025)$90K (2025)
Unemployment2.5% (2025)4.2% (2025)

Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.

Compare other years