Italy vs Japan: Urban area over the long-term
Italy
13,580 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Japan
13,979 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Italy rank
13th
Japan rank
12th
Urban area over the long-term over time
- Italy
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 13,979 km² per grid cell against 13,580 km² per grid cell in Italy, a difference of 399 km² per grid cell.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Italy ahead.
Italy ranks 13th and Japan ranks 12th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 35 and Japan in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 423.82 km² per grid cell | 83.38 km² per grid cell | 340.43 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1100s | 529.77 km² per grid cell | 17.02 km² per grid cell | 512.75 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1200s | 831.33 km² per grid cell | 26.35 km² per grid cell | 804.98 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1300s | 2,180 km² per grid cell | 45.09 km² per grid cell | 2,135 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1400s | 1,148 km² per grid cell | 86.16 km² per grid cell | 1,061 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1500s | 1,540 km² per grid cell | 170.93 km² per grid cell | 1,369 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1600s | 1,990 km² per grid cell | 358.43 km² per grid cell | 1,632 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1700s | 1,857 km² per grid cell | 628.27 km² per grid cell | 1,229 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1710s | 1,921 km² per grid cell | 675.08 km² per grid cell | 1,246 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1720s | 1,994 km² per grid cell | 664.37 km² per grid cell | 1,330 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1730s | 2,070 km² per grid cell | 649.32 km² per grid cell | 1,421 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1740s | 2,149 km² per grid cell | 629.03 km² per grid cell | 1,520 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1750s | 2,231 km² per grid cell | 602.97 km² per grid cell | 1,628 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1760s | 2,316 km² per grid cell | 567.2 km² per grid cell | 1,749 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1770s | 2,404 km² per grid cell | 526.91 km² per grid cell | 1,877 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1780s | 2,496 km² per grid cell | 483.65 km² per grid cell | 2,012 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1790s | 2,590 km² per grid cell | 439.36 km² per grid cell | 2,150 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1800s | 2,683 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,287 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1810s | 2,738 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,342 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1820s | 2,793 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,397 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1830s | 2,931 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,535 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1840s | 3,038 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,641 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1850s | 3,151 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,755 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1860s | 3,239 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,843 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1870s | 4,006 km² per grid cell | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 3,610 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1880s | 4,612 km² per grid cell | 404.29 km² per grid cell | 4,208 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1890s | 5,124 km² per grid cell | 450.7 km² per grid cell | 4,673 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1900s | 5,287 km² per grid cell | 1,344 km² per grid cell | 3,943 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1910s | 5,341 km² per grid cell | 1,640 km² per grid cell | 3,700 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1920s | 5,405 km² per grid cell | 1,984 km² per grid cell | 3,422 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1930s | 5,405 km² per grid cell | 2,603 km² per grid cell | 2,803 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1940s | 5,523 km² per grid cell | 3,187 km² per grid cell | 2,336 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1950s | 6,586 km² per grid cell | 5,042 km² per grid cell | 1,544 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1960s | 7,762 km² per grid cell | 6,725 km² per grid cell | 1,037 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1970s | 9,086 km² per grid cell | 9,069 km² per grid cell | 16.35 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1980s | 9,894 km² per grid cell | 10,704 km² per grid cell | 810.28 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1990s | 10,269 km² per grid cell | 11,979 km² per grid cell | 1,710 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 2000s | 10,986 km² per grid cell | 12,606 km² per grid cell | 1,619 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 2010s | 12,177 km² per grid cell | 13,224 km² per grid cell | 1,048 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 2020s | 13,275 km² per grid cell | 13,841 km² per grid cell | 565.58 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, Italy or Japan?
- Japan, at 13,979 km² per grid cell against 13,580 km² per grid cell in Italy as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Italy and Japan?
- 399 km² per grid cell, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Japan?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Italy and Japan rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- Italy ranks 13th 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.