| Ranking | Japan | North Korea | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Countries with the most hospital beds per 1,000 people2026-11-02 | #3 · 12.59 per 1,000 people | #2 · 12.8 per 1,000 people | North Korea by 1 |
| Countries generating the most electricity from coal2026-11-02 | #4 · 330.08 TWh | #33 · 9.23 TWh | Japan by 29 |
| Countries with the largest cumulative CO2 emissions from cement2026-11-02 | #4 · 2,103.89 million tonnes | #42 · 161.35 million tonnes | Japan by 38 |
| Countries with the most military personnel2026-11-02 | #22 · 247 thousand people | #4 · 1,280 thousand people | North Korea by 18 |
| Countries with the highest CO₂ emissions from coal2026-10-29 | #5 · 380.97 million tonnes | #19 · 57.15 million tonnes | Japan by 14 |
| Countries with the largest share of global CO2 from coal2026-11-02 | #5 · 2.41 % of global total | #19 · 0.36 % of global total | Japan by 14 |
| Countries with the largest cumulative CO2 emissions2026-11-02 | #6 · 69.6k million tonnes | #39 · 5,492.66 million tonnes | Japan by 33 |
| Countries with the most planted forest2026-11-02 | #6 · 10.1k thousand hectares | #31 · 1,596.67 thousand hectares | Japan by 25 |
| Countries with the largest cumulative CO2 emissions from coal2026-11-02 | #7 · 25.2k million tonnes | #21 · 5,058.3 million tonnes | Japan by 14 |
| Countries with the highest second-dose measles vaccination coverage2026-11-02 | #31 · 95 % | #8 · 99 % | North Korea by 23 |
| Countries generating the most coal electricity per person2026-11-02 | #9 · 2,681.32 kWh per person | #41 · 348.32 kWh per person | Japan by 32 |
| Countries with the largest cumulative CO2 emissions including land use2026-11-02 | #10 · 74.89 billion tonnes | #49 · 7.02 billion tonnes | Japan by 39 |
| Countries using the most water for agriculture2026-10-29 | #12 · 52.8 billion cubic meters | #49 · 6.61 billion cubic meters | Japan by 37 |
| Countries producing the most rice2026-11-02 | #12 · 10.1k thousand tonnes | #28 · 2,250 thousand tonnes | Japan by 16 |
| Countries with the highest rice yields2026-11-02 | #14 · 6.96 tonnes per hectare | #42 · 4.64 tonnes per hectare | Japan by 28 |
| Countries producing the most farmed fish2026-10-30 | #15 · 802.04 thousand metric tons | #17 · 685.7 thousand metric tons | Japan by 2 |
| Countries with the highest CO2 emissions from coal per person2026-11-02 | #15 · 3.08 tonnes per person | #21 · 2.16 tonnes per person | Japan by 6 |
| Countries producing the most soybeans2026-11-02 | #25 · 252.4 thousand tonnes | #32 · 180 thousand tonnes | Japan by 7 |
| Countries with the highest overall death rates2026-11-02 | #34 · 1.16 per 100,000 people | #43 · 1.03 per 100,000 people | Japan by 9 |
| Countries with the highest millet yields2026-11-02 | #50 · 0.89 tonnes per hectare | #39 · 1.06 tonnes per hectare | North Korea by 11 |
History
Rank history in Countries with the most hospital beds per 1,000 people
Head to head
Japan vs North Korea, explained
Japan vs North Korea, head to head across 20 shared rankings. Japan ranks higher in 16, North Korea ranks higher in 4. On that count Japan comes out ahead overall, though each ranking measures something different, so the detail below matters more than the tally.
Ranking by ranking: in Countries with the most hospital beds per 1,000 people, Japan is #3 with 12.59 per 1,000 people and North Korea is #2 with 12.8 per 1,000 people (North Korea ahead by 1); in Countries generating the most electricity from coal, Japan is #4 with 330.08 TWh and North Korea is #33 with 9.23 TWh (Japan ahead by 29); in Countries with the largest cumulative CO2 emissions from cement, Japan is #4 with 2,103.89 million tonnes and North Korea is #42 with 161.35 million tonnes (Japan ahead by 38); in Countries with the most military personnel, Japan is #22 with 247 thousand people and North Korea is #4 with 1,280 thousand people (North Korea ahead by 18); in Countries with the highest CO₂ emissions from coal, Japan is #5 with 380.97 million tonnes and North Korea is #19 with 57.15 million tonnes (Japan ahead by 14); in Countries with the largest share of global CO2 from coal, Japan is #5 with 2.41 % of global total and North Korea is #19 with 0.36 % of global total (Japan ahead by 14).
Within each ranking both entries are measured by the same metric from the same source at the same time, which makes every row a like-for-like comparison. Across rankings the metrics differ, so a lead in one does not cancel out a deficit in another. The rank history chart tracks both entries through every published snapshot of the first shared ranking.
Dates shown next to each ranking are the capture dates of the snapshots used, so you always know how current a comparison is. Each entry also has a profile page listing every ranking it appears in, and each ranking has a quiz if you want to test whether you could have named the top 10.
Top10Earth never estimates or edits a value: each number is fetched from its source, hashed, stored and ranked by software, then checked by a quality gate before it is published. If a refresh fails the gate, the previous snapshot stays live and the problem is reviewed by a person.
Frequently asked questions
- Who ranks higher, Japan or North Korea?
- Japan ranks higher in more shared rankings (16 of 20). In Countries with the most hospital beds per 1,000 people, Japan is #3 and North Korea is #2.
- In how many rankings do Japan and North Korea both appear?
- 20 current rankings.
- How current is this comparison?
- The newest shared snapshot was captured on 2026-11-02.