Italy vs Japan
Japan has 2.1× the population of Italy: 123,366,734 vs 58,915,656, a gap of 64.5 million. Italy is shrinking more slowly (−0.06% vs −0.49% a year), adding about -37,036 people a year against −607,141. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Italy would overtake Japan in about 172 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2197) — a projection, not a forecast. Japan is the older society: 30.0% aged 65+ against 25.1% in Italy, while Italy has more children (11.7% under 15 vs 11.2%). Japan is 1.7× as densely populated (341.5 vs 199.5 people per km²).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Italy) and 2025 (Japan); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Italy vs Japan — side by side
 Italy |  Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 58,915,6562025 | 123,366,7342025 |
| Growth rate / yr | −0.06%2025 | −0.49%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 6.32024 | 5.72024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 11.02024 | 13.32024 |
| Children per woman | 1.182024 | 1.152024 |
| Life expectancy | 84.0 yrs2024 | 84.0 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 11.7%2025 | 11.2%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 25.1%2025 | 30.0%2025 |
| Density | 199.5 /km²2023 | 341.5 /km²2023 |
| Area | 302,070 km²2023 | 377,969 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 69.7%2025 | 92.3%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | +75,4482025 | +140,5792025 |
| GDP per capita | $43,3092025 | $35,9512025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #25 | #12 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.72% | 1.50% |
Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.
Population since 1960
World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). Italy: 1.2× from 1960 to 2025; Japan: 1.3× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Regions: Europe & Central Asia · East Asia & Pacific · rankings
Italy: Italy vs India, Italy vs China, Italy vs United States, Italy vs Indonesia, Italy vs Pakistan, Italy vs Nigeria, Italy vs Brazil, Italy vs Bangladesh.
Japan: Japan vs India, Japan vs China, Japan vs United States, Japan vs Indonesia, Japan vs Pakistan, Japan vs Nigeria, Japan vs Brazil, Japan vs Bangladesh.
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.