Compare Japan vs South Korea
15 measurements published for both countries, each with the source that published it and the date it was checked. South Korea vs Japan is the same comparison.
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 against $35,951, and a labour force participation of 64.4% against 63.4%.
| Measurement | Japan | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Money and work | ||
| GDP per capitaUS dollars per person | $35,9512025-12-31World Bank indicator NY.GDP.PCAP.CD | $36,227 — better on this measurement2025-12-31World Bank indicator NY.GDP.PCAP.CD |
| Labour force participationshare of the working-age population | 63.4%2025-12-31World Bank Open Data | 64.4% — better on this measurement2025-12-31World Bank Open Data |
| Top income tax ratestatutory, top bracket; excludes social contributions | 45.00%2025-04-01NTA No.2260, as of 2025-04-01: ordinary national income-tax rate schedule has seven brackets from 5% to 45%; 45% applies at taxable income of 40,000,000 JPY or more. This is before the separate reconstruction special income-tax surcharge. | 45.00%2024-12-31Revenue Statistics in Asia and the Pacific 2025 |
| Corporate tax ratestatutory | 23.20% — better on this measurement2025-04-01NTA No.5759, as of 2025-04-01: national corporation-tax table, 23.20% for 上記以外の普通法人 (ordinary corporations other than the small-capital reduced-rate band), shown for business years beginning 2022-04-01 and 2025-04-01. | 24.00%2025-12-31OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration |
| Standard VATheadline rate | 10%2019-12-31National Tax Agency, Japan | 10%2026-08-03National Tax Service, Republic of Korea |
| Median gross salaryper month, national | €1,7812025-06-302025 Basic Survey on Wage Structure, Appendix Table 3 | €1,911 — better on this measurement2024-12-312024 wage-worker job income (remuneration) results |
| Settling in | ||
| Migrant integration policyMIPEX; higher is more favourable | 59 / 1002020-12-31MIPEX | 65 / 100 — better on this measurement2020-12-31MIPEX |
| English proficiencyEF EPI; higher is stronger | 446 points2025-12-31EF EPI | 522 points — better on this measurement2025-12-31EF EPI |
| Populationtotal | 123,975,3712024-12-31World Bank | 51,751,0652024-12-31World Bank |
| Daily life | ||
| Life expectancyat birth | 84.0 years — better on this measurement2024-12-31World Bank indicator SP.DYN.LE00.IN | 83.6 years2024-12-31World Bank indicator SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Homicide rateper 100,000 people | 0.23 — better on this measurement2023-12-31World Bank | 0.482023-12-31World Bank |
| Road traffic deathsper 100,000 people per year | 2.7 — better on this measurement2021-12-31WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 | 6.92021-12-31WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 |
| Fixed broadbandsubscriptions per 100 inhabitants | 41.7%2024-12-31OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation | 47.8% — better on this measurement2024-12-31OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation |
| Physiciansper 1,000 people | 2.65 — better on this measurement2022-12-31Physicians (per 1,000 people) | 2.612022-12-31Physicians (per 1,000 people) |
| Hospital bedsper 1,000 people; a measure of system structure, not of care quality | 12.592022-12-31Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) | 12.812022-12-31Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) |
How this comparison is built
A measurement appears only when both countries publish a current value for it in the official lane. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap, and no value is converted between different definitions to make a row line up.
The better value is marked only where the two sides are the same measurement in the same unit. Where they are not — a figure that describes how a system is organised rather than how well it performs, for instance — both numbers are shown and neither is marked.
Full country data: Japan · South Korea.