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

Updated on by Georank team

Japan is 8.81 times bigger by total area compared to Denmark: 145,936 sq mi vs 16,574 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of Japan is 140,761 sq mi vs 15,444 sq mi for Denmark — a 9.11 times difference in territory size.

  • Denmark ranks 130/197 by total surface area vs 62/197 for Japan.
  • Denmark occupies 0.03% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.24% for Japan.
  • 65.5% of Denmark's area is agricultural land vs 12.6% in Japan.
  • Denmark has 0.05% of the world's agricultural land area — Japan has 0.1%.
  • 15.8% of Denmark is covered by forests, compared to 68.4% in Japan.
  • 0.02% of the world's forests are in Denmark, and 0.62% are in Japan.

True size map comparison: Denmark vs Japan

See how Denmark 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

Denmark Japan
Total area 16,574
sq mi
145,936
sq mi
Size difference ratio 1 8.81
Total area rank 130/197 62/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.008% 0.07%
Land area 15,444
sq mi
140,761
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 1 9.11
Land area rank 130/197 61/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.03% 0.24%
Population 5,976,992 123,975,371
Population density 390 ppl/mi² 872 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

Denmark Japan
Forest area 2,437
sq mi
96,275
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 15.8% 68.4%
Forest area rank 134/196 23/196
World's forests share 0.02% 0.62%
Agricultural land area 10,120
sq mi
17,788
sq mi
Agricultural land share 65.5% 12.6%
Agricultural land area rank 107/194 92/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.05% 0.1%
Arable land 9,131
sq mi
15,614
sq mi
Arable land share 59.1% 11.1%
Arable land area rank 77/191 56/191
Permanent cropland 114.3
sq mi
981
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 0.74% 0.7%
Permanent cropland area rank 140/192 75/192
Water area 1,130
sq mi
5,175
sq mi
Water as share of total area 6.82% 3.55%
Water area rank 81/197 37/197
Roads length 45,717
mi
757,310
mi
Land borders length 87.6
mi
0
mi
Coastline length 4,545
mi
18,486
mi
Share of marine protected waters 18.6% 13.8%

Denmark vs Japan size on the map

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

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

The map above outlines the borders of Denmark 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.