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Canada's area vs Japan's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

Canada is 26.4 times bigger by total area compared to Japan: 3,855,103 sq mi vs 145,936 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of Canada is 3,393,336 sq mi vs 140,761 sq mi for Japan — a 24.1 times difference in territory size.

  • Canada ranks 2/197 by total surface area vs 62/197 for Japan.
  • Canada occupies 5.9% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.24% for Japan.
  • 6.47% of Canada's area is agricultural land vs 12.6% in Japan.
  • Canada has 1.19% of the world's agricultural land area — Japan has 0.1%.
  • 39.5% of Canada is covered by forests, compared to 68.4% in Japan.
  • 8.58% of the world's forests are in Canada, and 0.62% are in Japan.

True size map comparison: Canada vs Japan

See how Canada and Japan compare in true size on the map. Drag the outlines to different latitudes to see how the Mercator projection affects their apparent size.

Total size and land area comparison

Canada Japan
Total area 3,855,103
sq mi
145,936
sq mi
Size difference ratio 26.4 1
Total area rank 2/197 62/197
Share of all countries' surface area 1.96% 0.07%
Land area 3,393,336
sq mi
140,761
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 24.1 1
Land area rank 4/197 61/197
Share of all countries' land area 5.9% 0.24%
Population 41,288,599 123,975,371
Population density 12.4 ppl/mi² 872 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

Canada Japan
Forest area 1,339,068
sq mi
96,275
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 39.5% 68.4%
Forest area rank 3/196 23/196
World's forests share 8.58% 0.62%
Agricultural land area 219,596
sq mi
17,788
sq mi
Agricultural land share 6.47% 12.6%
Agricultural land area rank 15/194 92/194
Share of global agricultural land 1.19% 0.1%
Arable land 147,302
sq mi
15,614
sq mi
Arable land share 4.34% 11.1%
Arable land area rank 7/191 56/191
Permanent cropland 633
sq mi
981
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 0.02% 0.7%
Permanent cropland area rank 91/192 75/192
Water area 461,767
sq mi
5,175
sq mi
Water as share of total area 12% 3.55%
Water area rank 1/197 37/197
Roads length 647,655
mi
757,310
mi
Land borders length 5,525
mi
0
mi
Coastline length 125,567
mi
18,486
mi
Share of marine protected waters 9.2% 13.8%

Canada vs Japan size on the map

Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2026, retrieved 2026-04-06).

GeoRank.org/size/canada/japan | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of Canada and Japan but is not accurate for size comparison because it's a 2d map with Mercator projection that distorts territories near the poles. The farther a country is from the equator, the more magnified it appears. More about country size projections.

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Data sources:

  1. World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2023–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06)
  2. Wikidata (2026, retrieved 2026-02-08)
  3. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2025, retrieved 2026-02-20)
  4. United Nations | World Population Prospects (2026, retrieved 2026-03-10)

Total agricultural land encompasses all areas used for agriculture: territories under permanent and temporary crops and pastures. It includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vineyards, but excludes sites utilized for timber production.

Arable land encompasses fields utilized for temporary crop production, pastures, market or kitchen gardens, and temporarily fallowed land. Land abandoned due to shifting cultivation practices is not included.

Permanent cropland refers to farmland for the long-term cultivation of crops, such as coffee, cocoa, and rubber, which do not require replanting after each harvest. This category encompasses land with permanent crops like flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vines, but does not include land under trees for timber production.

Inland areas under water, such as large rivers, lakes, and some coastal waterways.

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.