China vs Japan: How have things changed?, per square kilometre

China
9.75 metric tons per square kilometre
in 2023
Japan
10.6 metric tons per square kilometre
in 2023
China rank
24th
Japan rank
23rd

How have things changed?, per square kilometre over time

  • China
  • Japan
010203040196519942023

How they compare

Japan currently reports 10.6 metric tons per square kilometre against 9.75 metric tons per square kilometre in China, a difference of 0.85 metric tons per square kilometre.

That makes Japan's figure about 1.1 times China's.

Across all 59 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.

China ranks 24th and Japan ranks 23rd of 215 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China Japan Difference Ahead
1960s 0.412 metric tons per square kilometre 21.59 metric tons per square kilometre 21.18 metric tons per square kilometre Japan
1970s 0.5744 metric tons per square kilometre 28.61 metric tons per square kilometre 28.03 metric tons per square kilometre Japan
1980s 0.9974 metric tons per square kilometre 33.21 metric tons per square kilometre 32.21 metric tons per square kilometre Japan
1990s 3.21 metric tons per square kilometre 22.9 metric tons per square kilometre 19.69 metric tons per square kilometre Japan
2000s 5.61 metric tons per square kilometre 16.1 metric tons per square kilometre 10.49 metric tons per square kilometre Japan
2010s 7.85 metric tons per square kilometre 12.73 metric tons per square kilometre 4.88 metric tons per square kilometre Japan
2020s 9.32 metric tons per square kilometre 11.15 metric tons per square kilometre 1.83 metric tons per square kilometre Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher how have things changed?, per square kilometre, China or Japan?
Japan, at 10.6 metric tons per square kilometre against 9.75 metric tons per square kilometre in China as of 2023.
What is the difference in how have things changed?, per square kilometre between China and Japan?
0.85 metric tons per square kilometre, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
59 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2023.
How do China and Japan rank globally for how have things changed?, per square kilometre?
China ranks 24th and Japan ranks 23rd of 215 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Statizoid (derived), published as How have things changed?, per square kilometre. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs Japan: How have things changed?, per square kilometre. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/how-have-things-changed-per-square-kilometre/china/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
How have things changed?, per square kilometre
Unit
metric tons per square kilometre
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
215 places, 11,549 data points, 1965–2023
Last refreshed

How have things changed? divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.