Japan vs Russia: Number of airline passengers per year

Japan
120.31 million
in 2023
Russia
98.87 million
in 2023
Japan rank
6th
Russia rank
8th

Number of airline passengers per year over time

  • Japan
  • Russia
25.0M50.0M75.0M100.0M125.0M197019962023

How they compare

Japan currently reports 120.31 million against 98.87 million in Russia, a difference of 21.43 million.

That makes Japan's figure about 1.2 times Russia's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1991 it was Russia ahead.

Japan ranks 6th and Russia ranks 8th of 183 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 3 and Russia in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Japan Russia Difference Ahead
1990s 90.50 million 39.88 million 50.62 million Japan
2000s 102.06 million 26.84 million 75.22 million Japan
2010s 112.88 million 74.13 million 38.75 million Japan
2020s 75.83 million 85.10 million 9.28 million Russia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of airline passengers per year, Japan or Russia?
Japan, at 120.31 million against 98.87 million in Russia as of 2023.
What is the difference in number of airline passengers per year between Japan and Russia?
21.43 million, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Russia?
33 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2023.
How do Japan and Russia rank globally for number of airline passengers per year?
Japan ranks 6th and Russia ranks 8th of 183 countries.
Where does this data come from?
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Number of airline passengers per year. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Number of airline passengers per year
Source
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
183 places, 7,925 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

This represents the total rather than unique passenger activity: this means a person who makes multiple trips is counted multiple times.