China vs Japan: Population in largest city
China
30.48 million
in 2025
Japan
37.04 million
in 2025
China rank
3rd
Japan rank
1st
Population in largest city over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 37.04 million against 30.48 million in China, a difference of 6.55 million.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.2 times China's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
China ranks 3rd and Japan ranks 1st of 153 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.47 million | 19.77 million | 13.31 million | Japan |
| 1970s | 5.75 million | 26.00 million | 20.25 million | Japan |
| 1980s | 7.02 million | 30.21 million | 23.20 million | Japan |
| 1990s | 10.91 million | 33.46 million | 22.55 million | Japan |
| 2000s | 16.84 million | 35.51 million | 18.67 million | Japan |
| 2010s | 23.22 million | 37.21 million | 13.98 million | Japan |
| 2020s | 28.82 million | 37.23 million | 8.40 million | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population in largest city, China or Japan?
- Japan, at 37.04 million against 30.48 million in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in largest city between China and Japan?
- 6.55 million, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for population in largest city?
- China ranks 3rd and Japan ranks 1st of 153 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as Population in largest city. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.