Which has higher surface area, Germany or Japan?

Japan, at 377,969 sq. km against 357,680 sq. km in Germany as of 2023.

What is the difference in surface area between Germany and Japan?

20,289 sq. km, with Japan ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Japan?

63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.

Where does this data come from?

FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as Surface area (sq. km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Germany vs Japan: Surface area

Germany

357,680 sq. km

in 2023

Japan

377,969 sq. km

in 2023

Germany rank

64th

Japan rank

63rd

Surface area over time

Germany
Japan

How they compare

Japan currently reports 377,969 sq. km against 357,680 sq. km in Germany, a difference of 20,289 sq. km.

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

Across all 63 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.

Germany ranks 64th and Japan ranks 63rd of 215 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade	Germany	Japan	Difference	Ahead
1960s	356,970 sq. km	377,800 sq. km	20,830 sq. km	Japan
1970s	356,970 sq. km	377,800 sq. km	20,830 sq. km	Japan
1980s	356,970 sq. km	377,800 sq. km	20,830 sq. km	Japan
1990s	357,004 sq. km	377,800 sq. km	20,796 sq. km	Japan
2000s	357,071 sq. km	377,903 sq. km	20,832 sq. km	Japan
2010s	357,389 sq. km	377,965 sq. km	20,576 sq. km	Japan
2020s	357,615 sq. km	377,972 sq. km	20,356 sq. km	Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher surface area, Germany or Japan?: Japan, at 377,969 sq. km against 357,680 sq. km in Germany as of 2023.
What is the difference in surface area between Germany and Japan?: 20,289 sq. km, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Japan?: 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
How do Germany and Japan rank globally for surface area?: Germany ranks 64th and Japan ranks 63rd of 215 countries.
Where does this data come from?: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as Surface area (sq. km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Surface area (sq. km)
Unit: sq. km
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 263 places, 16,395 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.