Which has higher surface area, Greenland or Japan?

Greenland, at 410,450 sq. km against 377,969 sq. km in Japan as of 2023.

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

32,481 sq. km, with Greenland ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Greenland 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.

Greenland vs Japan: Surface area

Greenland

410,450 sq. km

in 2023

Japan

377,969 sq. km

in 2023

Greenland rank

60th

Japan rank

63rd

Surface area over time

Greenland
Japan

How they compare

Greenland currently reports 410,450 sq. km against 377,969 sq. km in Japan, a difference of 32,481 sq. km.

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

The two have swapped places 1 time across 63 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Japan ahead.

Greenland ranks 60th and Japan ranks 63rd of 215 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Greenland averaged higher in 3 and Japan in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Greenland	Japan	Difference	Ahead
1960s	341,700 sq. km	377,800 sq. km	36,100 sq. km	Japan
1970s	341,700 sq. km	377,800 sq. km	36,100 sq. km	Japan
1980s	341,700 sq. km	377,800 sq. km	36,100 sq. km	Japan
1990s	362,325 sq. km	377,800 sq. km	15,475 sq. km	Japan
2000s	410,450 sq. km	377,903 sq. km	32,547 sq. km	Greenland
2010s	410,450 sq. km	377,965 sq. km	32,485 sq. km	Greenland
2020s	410,450 sq. km	377,972 sq. km	32,478 sq. km	Greenland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher surface area, Greenland or Japan?: Greenland, at 410,450 sq. km against 377,969 sq. km in Japan as of 2023.
What is the difference in surface area between Greenland and Japan?: 32,481 sq. km, with Greenland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Greenland and Japan?: 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
How do Greenland and Japan rank globally for surface area?: Greenland ranks 60th 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.