France vs Japan: Urban area over the long-term
France
15,122 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Japan
13,979 km² per grid cell
in 2025
France rank
10th
Japan rank
12th
Urban area over the long-term over time
- France
- Japan
How they compare
France currently reports 15,122 km² per grid cell against 13,979 km² per grid cell in Japan, a difference of 1,143 km² per grid cell.
That makes France's figure about 1.1 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was France ahead.
France ranks 10th and Japan ranks 12th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, France averaged higher in 36 and Japan in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 174.71 km² per grid cell | 83.38 km² per grid cell | 91.32 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1100s | 283.04 km² per grid cell | 17.02 km² per grid cell | 266.02 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1200s | 444.95 km² per grid cell | 26.35 km² per grid cell | 418.6 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1300s | 654.98 km² per grid cell | 45.09 km² per grid cell | 609.89 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1400s | 502.33 km² per grid cell | 86.16 km² per grid cell | 416.17 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1500s | 748.11 km² per grid cell | 170.93 km² per grid cell | 577.17 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1600s | 874.88 km² per grid cell | 358.43 km² per grid cell | 516.45 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1700s | 874.88 km² per grid cell | 628.27 km² per grid cell | 246.61 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1710s | 874.88 km² per grid cell | 675.08 km² per grid cell | 199.8 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1720s | 978.4 km² per grid cell | 664.37 km² per grid cell | 314.03 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1730s | 1,105 km² per grid cell | 649.32 km² per grid cell | 455.45 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1740s | 1,220 km² per grid cell | 629.03 km² per grid cell | 591 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1750s | 1,327 km² per grid cell | 602.97 km² per grid cell | 723.64 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1760s | 1,426 km² per grid cell | 567.2 km² per grid cell | 858.58 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1770s | 1,521 km² per grid cell | 526.91 km² per grid cell | 994.57 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1780s | 1,616 km² per grid cell | 483.65 km² per grid cell | 1,133 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1790s | 1,713 km² per grid cell | 439.36 km² per grid cell | 1,274 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1800s | 1,815 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 1,419 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1810s | 2,020 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 1,624 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1820s | 2,225 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 1,829 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1830s | 2,410 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,014 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1840s | 2,643 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,247 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1850s | 2,905 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,509 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1860s | 3,102 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,706 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1870s | 3,289 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,893 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1880s | 3,544 km² per grid cell | 404.29 km² per grid cell | 3,140 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1890s | 3,784 km² per grid cell | 450.7 km² per grid cell | 3,333 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1900s | 4,016 km² per grid cell | 1,344 km² per grid cell | 2,673 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1910s | 4,282 km² per grid cell | 1,640 km² per grid cell | 2,642 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1920s | 4,260 km² per grid cell | 1,984 km² per grid cell | 2,277 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1930s | 4,733 km² per grid cell | 2,603 km² per grid cell | 2,130 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1940s | 4,924 km² per grid cell | 3,187 km² per grid cell | 1,737 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1950s | 5,699 km² per grid cell | 5,042 km² per grid cell | 656.87 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1960s | 7,316 km² per grid cell | 6,725 km² per grid cell | 590.53 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1970s | 8,779 km² per grid cell | 9,069 km² per grid cell | 290.49 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1980s | 9,585 km² per grid cell | 10,704 km² per grid cell | 1,119 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1990s | 10,365 km² per grid cell | 11,979 km² per grid cell | 1,614 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 2000s | 11,882 km² per grid cell | 12,606 km² per grid cell | 723.57 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 2010s | 13,760 km² per grid cell | 13,224 km² per grid cell | 535.64 km² per grid cell | France |
| 2020s | 14,804 km² per grid cell | 13,841 km² per grid cell | 962.88 km² per grid cell | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, France or Japan?
- France, at 15,122 km² per grid cell against 13,979 km² per grid cell in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between France and Japan?
- 1,143 km² per grid cell, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Japan?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do France and Japan rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- France ranks 10th 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.