Canada vs Japan: Urban area over the long-term
Canada
9,053 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Japan
13,979 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Canada rank
15th
Japan rank
12th
Urban area over the long-term over time
- Canada
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 13,979 km² per grid cell against 9,053 km² per grid cell in Canada, a difference of 4,926 km² per grid cell.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.5 times Canada's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Japan ahead.
Canada ranks 15th and Japan ranks 12th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 2 and Japan in 38.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0006 km² per grid cell | 83.38 km² per grid cell | 83.38 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1100s | 0.0023 km² per grid cell | 17.02 km² per grid cell | 17.02 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1200s | 0.0079 km² per grid cell | 26.35 km² per grid cell | 26.34 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1300s | 0.0271 km² per grid cell | 45.09 km² per grid cell | 45.06 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1400s | 0.0916 km² per grid cell | 86.16 km² per grid cell | 86.07 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1500s | 0.3052 km² per grid cell | 170.93 km² per grid cell | 170.63 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1600s | 0.9156 km² per grid cell | 358.43 km² per grid cell | 357.51 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1700s | 2.75 km² per grid cell | 628.27 km² per grid cell | 625.53 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1710s | 3.1 km² per grid cell | 675.08 km² per grid cell | 671.98 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1720s | 4.2 km² per grid cell | 664.37 km² per grid cell | 660.17 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1730s | 5.71 km² per grid cell | 649.32 km² per grid cell | 643.6 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1740s | 7.8 km² per grid cell | 629.03 km² per grid cell | 621.23 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1750s | 10.66 km² per grid cell | 602.97 km² per grid cell | 592.3 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1760s | 14.62 km² per grid cell | 567.2 km² per grid cell | 552.58 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1770s | 20.09 km² per grid cell | 526.91 km² per grid cell | 506.82 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1780s | 27.65 km² per grid cell | 483.65 km² per grid cell | 455.99 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1790s | 38.11 km² per grid cell | 439.36 km² per grid cell | 401.24 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1800s | 52.53 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 343.53 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1810s | 72.23 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 323.83 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1820s | 99.52 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 296.55 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1830s | 135.4 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 260.66 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1840s | 180.25 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 215.81 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1850s | 232.59 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 163.48 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1860s | 339.51 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 56.55 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1870s | 387.76 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 8.31 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1880s | 442.36 km² per grid cell | 404.29 km² per grid cell | 38.07 km² per grid cell | Canada |
| 1890s | 487.17 km² per grid cell | 450.7 km² per grid cell | 36.47 km² per grid cell | Canada |
| 1900s | 531.7 km² per grid cell | 1,344 km² per grid cell | 812.03 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1910s | 749.95 km² per grid cell | 1,640 km² per grid cell | 890.27 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1920s | 926.64 km² per grid cell | 1,984 km² per grid cell | 1,057 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1930s | 1,209 km² per grid cell | 2,603 km² per grid cell | 1,394 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1940s | 1,452 km² per grid cell | 3,187 km² per grid cell | 1,735 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1950s | 2,154 km² per grid cell | 5,042 km² per grid cell | 2,888 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1960s | 3,088 km² per grid cell | 6,725 km² per grid cell | 3,638 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1970s | 3,924 km² per grid cell | 9,069 km² per grid cell | 5,145 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1980s | 4,586 km² per grid cell | 10,704 km² per grid cell | 6,118 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1990s | 5,485 km² per grid cell | 11,979 km² per grid cell | 6,494 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 2000s | 6,472 km² per grid cell | 12,606 km² per grid cell | 6,133 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 2010s | 7,642 km² per grid cell | 13,224 km² per grid cell | 5,582 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 2020s | 8,714 km² per grid cell | 13,841 km² per grid cell | 5,126 km² per grid cell | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Canada or Japan?
- Japan, at 13,979 km² per grid cell against 9,053 km² per grid cell in Canada as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Canada and Japan?
- 4,926 km² per grid cell, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Japan?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Canada and Japan rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- Canada ranks 15th and Japan ranks 12th of 202 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total built-up area of a country over time.