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

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

1978Swap

China, Taiwan Province of ChinaJapan

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.

China, Taiwan Province of China and Japan compared

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

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

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

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

Key figures (1978)

China, Taiwan Province of ChinaJapan
Population17.2 million116.1 million
Aged 0–1434.5%23.8%
Aged 15–6462.0%67.7%
Aged 65+3.4%8.5%
Median age21.5 yrs31.4 yrs
Old-age dependency5.612.5
Total fertility rate2.681.79
Life expectancy71.7 yrs75.7 yrs
Population growth+2.06%+0.84%
Net migration (per year)+17,523-47,996
GDP—$4.44T (2025)
GDP per person—$36K (2025)
Unemployment—2.5% (2025)

Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.

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