| Ranking | Japan | South Korea | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Countries with the highest beef yield per animal2026-11-02 | #1 · 450 kilograms per animal | #13 · 332 kilograms per animal | Japan by 12 |
| Countries with the most hospital beds per 1,000 people2026-11-02 | #3 · 12.59 per 1,000 people | #1 · 12.81 per 1,000 people | South Korea by 2 |
| Countries with the highest life expectancy at birth2026-11-02 | #1 · 84.46 years | #3 · 83.8 years | Japan by 2 |
| Countries with the most students reaching minimum maths level (lower sec.)2026-11-02 | #1 · 91.73 % | #6 · 83.78 % | Japan by 5 |
| Countries with the highest healthy life expectancy at birth2026-11-02 | #2 · 73.4 years | #3 · 72.45 years | Japan by 1 |
| Countries with the most researchers per million people2026-11-02 | #19 · 5,608.63 per million people | #2 · 9,471.83 per million people | South Korea by 17 |
| Countries spending the most on research as a share of GDP2026-11-02 | #6 · 3.44 % of GDP | #3 · 4.94 % of GDP | South Korea by 3 |
| Countries with the highest primary school completion rates2026-11-02 | #3 · 100 % | #5 · 100 % | Japan by 2 |
| Countries with the highest share of adults with tertiary education2026-11-02 | #10 · 47.2 % | #3 · 58.3 % | South Korea by 7 |
| Countries with the longest life expectancy2026-11-02 | #4 · 84.71 years | #5 · 84.33 years | Japan by 1 |
| Countries generating the most electricity from coal2026-11-02 | #4 · 330.08 TWh | #8 · 194.53 TWh | Japan by 4 |
| Countries with the largest cumulative CO2 emissions from oil2026-11-02 | #4 · 34.2k million tonnes | #17 · 7,834.82 million tonnes | Japan by 13 |
| Countries with the highest CO₂ emissions from aviation2026-11-01 | #4 · 27.4k thousand tonnes | #14 · 14.8k thousand tonnes | Japan by 10 |
| Countries with the largest cumulative CO2 emissions from cement2026-11-02 | #4 · 2,103.89 million tonnes | #8 · 1,026.22 million tonnes | Japan by 4 |
| Countries with the most fixed broadband subscriptions2026-11-02 | #4 · 48.05 million subscriptions | #11 · 24.72 million subscriptions | Japan by 7 |
| Countries with the highest CO₂ emissions from other industry2026-11-02 | #4 · 11.4k thousand tonnes | #5 · 10.2k thousand tonnes | Japan by 1 |
| Countries with the most students reaching minimum reading level (lower sec.)2026-11-02 | #4 · 86.25 % | #6 · 85.32 % | Japan by 2 |
| Countries consuming the most coal2026-11-02 | #5 · 1,210.65 TWh | #8 · 793.18 TWh | Japan by 3 |
| Countries emitting the most CO22026-11-02 | #5 · 961.87 million tonnes | #9 · 583.68 million tonnes | Japan by 4 |
| Countries generating the most electricity from fossil fuels2026-11-02 | #5 · 693.04 TWh | #7 · 375.06 TWh | Japan by 2 |
| Countries with the highest consumption-based CO2 emissions2026-11-02 | #5 · 1,142.3 million tonnes | #8 · 708.86 million tonnes | Japan by 3 |
| Countries generating the most electricity2026-11-02 | #5 · 1,029.86 TWh | #8 · 624.66 TWh | Japan by 3 |
| Countries with the highest CO₂ emissions2026-10-29 | #5 · 961.87 million tonnes | #9 · 583.68 million tonnes | Japan by 4 |
| Countries with the highest CO₂ emissions from coal2026-10-29 | #5 · 380.97 million tonnes | #8 · 247.47 million tonnes | Japan by 3 |
| Countries with the largest share of global CO₂ emissions2026-10-29 | #5 · 2.49 % | #9 · 1.51 % | Japan by 4 |
| Countries with the highest total energy supply2026-11-02 | #5 · 4,578.49 TWh | #7 · 3,603.52 TWh | Japan by 2 |
| Countries with the highest government procurement spending2026-11-02 | #5 · 17.45 % of GDP | #23 · 13.87 % of GDP | Japan by 18 |
| Countries with the most imported deforestation2026-11-02 | #5 · 44.9k hectares | #8 · 27.7k hectares | Japan by 3 |
| Countries with the most installed solar power capacity2026-11-02 | #5 · 92.21 GW | #10 · 34.04 GW | Japan by 5 |
| Countries generating the most coal electricity per person2026-11-02 | #9 · 2,681.32 kWh per person | #5 · 3,765.07 kWh per person | South Korea by 4 |
| Countries generating the most plastic waste2026-11-02 | #5 · 7,993.49 thousand tonnes | #29 · 2,025.77 thousand tonnes | Japan by 24 |
| Countries with the largest share of global CO2 from coal2026-11-02 | #5 · 2.41 % of global total | #8 · 1.57 % of global total | Japan by 3 |
| Countries with the largest share of global goods exports2026-11-02 | #5 · 2.89 % | #6 · 2.8 % | Japan by 1 |
| Countries producing the most farmed fish2026-10-30 | #15 · 802.04 thousand metric tons | #6 · 2,281.88 thousand metric tons | South Korea by 9 |
| Countries emitting the most CO2 from transport2026-11-02 | #6 · 186.34 million tonnes | #15 · 105.46 million tonnes | Japan by 9 |
| Countries emitting the most CO2 from oil2026-11-02 | #6 · 353.59 million tonnes | #13 · 176.14 million tonnes | Japan by 7 |
| Countries with the largest cumulative CO2 emissions2026-11-02 | #6 · 69.6k million tonnes | #16 · 20.7k million tonnes | Japan by 10 |
| Countries with the highest CO₂ emissions from oil2026-11-01 | #6 · 353.59 million tonnes | #13 · 176.14 million tonnes | Japan by 7 |
| Countries with the most mobile phone subscriptions2026-11-02 | #6 · 221.92 million subscriptions | #21 · 89.22 million subscriptions | Japan by 15 |
| Countries using the most coal energy per person2026-11-02 | #9 · 9,834.39 kWh per person | #6 · 15.4k kWh per person | South Korea by 3 |
| Countries with the largest share of global CO2 from oil2026-11-02 | #6 · 2.84 % of global total | #13 · 1.41 % of global total | Japan by 7 |
| Countries with the most planted forest2026-11-02 | #6 · 10.1k thousand hectares | #28 · 2,260 thousand hectares | Japan by 22 |
| Countries with the highest CO₂ emissions including land-use change2026-10-31 | #7 · 967.36 million tonnes | #12 · 580.06 million tonnes | Japan by 5 |
| Countries generating the most electricity from solar and wind2026-11-02 | #7 · 113.91 TWh | #19 · 41.44 TWh | Japan by 12 |
| Countries with the largest cumulative CO2 emissions from coal2026-11-02 | #7 · 25.2k million tonnes | #16 · 9,141.67 million tonnes | Japan by 9 |
| Countries with the highest CO₂ emissions from natural gas2026-10-30 | #7 · 195.3 million tonnes | #12 · 129.31 million tonnes | Japan by 5 |
| Countries with the largest cumulative CO2 emissions from gas2026-11-02 | #7 · 7,632.33 million tonnes | #22 · 2,461.79 million tonnes | Japan by 15 |
| Countries with the highest manufacturing share of the economy2026-11-02 | #27 · 18.82 % of GDP | #7 · 27.43 % of GDP | South Korea by 20 |
| Countries with the largest share of global CO2 from gas2026-11-02 | #7 · 2.44 % of global total | #12 · 1.61 % of global total | Japan by 5 |
| Countries emitting the most CO2 including land use change2026-11-02 | #7 · 967.36 million tonnes | #12 · 580.06 million tonnes | Japan by 5 |
| Countries with the highest pancreatic cancer death rates2026-11-02 | #7 · 9.2 per 100,000 people | #40 · 6.73 per 100,000 people | Japan by 33 |
| Countries with the largest agricultural output2026-11-01 | #8 · 88.04 billion constant 2014-2016 US$ | #20 · 42.01 billion constant 2014-2016 US$ | Japan by 12 |
| Countries with the most fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people2026-10-29 | #30 · 38.63 per 100 people | #8 · 47.8 per 100 people | South Korea by 22 |
| Countries catching the most wild fish2026-11-01 | #8 · 2,848.39 thousand metric tons | #18 · 1,273.39 thousand metric tons | Japan by 10 |
| Countries with the highest foreign investment outflows2026-11-02 | #8 · 4.91 % of GDP | #23 · 2.2 % of GDP | Japan by 15 |
| Countries with the highest manufactured share of exports2026-11-02 | #16 · 80.58 % of merchandise exports | #8 · 87.29 % of merchandise exports | South Korea by 8 |
| Countries with the highest share of people using safely managed sanitation2026-11-02 | #9 · 99.19 % | #8 · 99.33 % | South Korea by 1 |
| Countries with the most electric car sales2026-11-02 | #22 · 102 thousand cars | #9 · 217 thousand cars | South Korea by 13 |
| Countries with the most electric cars on the road2026-11-02 | #12 · 720 thousand cars | #9 · 834 thousand cars | South Korea by 3 |
| Countries producing the most fish and seafood2026-11-02 | #9 · 3,762 thousand tonnes | #16 · 1,889 thousand tonnes | Japan by 7 |
| Countries generating the most hydropower2026-11-02 | #9 · 74.25 TWh | #46 · 3.81 TWh | Japan by 37 |
| Countries with the most fish and seafood consumption per person2026-11-02 | #15 · 44.98 kg per person per year | #9 · 52.82 kg per person per year | South Korea by 6 |
| Countries with the most military personnel2026-11-02 | #22 · 247 thousand people | #9 · 555 thousand people | South Korea by 13 |
| Countries with the most internet users2026-11-02 | #9 · 106.05 million people | #22 · 50.66 million people | Japan by 13 |
| Countries with the most nurses and midwives per 1,000 people2026-11-02 | #9 · 12.98 per 1,000 people | #29 · 9.09 per 1,000 people | Japan by 20 |
| Countries with the highest CO2 emissions from coal per person2026-11-02 | #15 · 3.08 tonnes per person | #9 · 4.78 tonnes per person | South Korea by 6 |
| Countries using the most phosphate fertilizer per hectare of cropland2026-11-02 | #9 · 63.56 kg per hectare | #13 · 51.55 kg per hectare | Japan by 4 |
| Countries with the largest stock market value relative to GDP2026-11-02 | #9 · 171.6 % of GDP | #10 · 147.23 % of GDP | Japan by 1 |
| Countries with the largest reserves relative to monthly imports2026-11-02 | #9 · 13.05 months of imports | #40 · 6.25 months of imports | Japan by 31 |
| Countries producing the most chicken meat2026-11-02 | #10 · 2,466.97 thousand tonnes | #30 · 935 thousand tonnes | Japan by 20 |
| Countries withdrawing the most freshwater2026-10-30 | #10 · 79.7 billion billion cubic meters | #24 · 29.2 billion billion cubic meters | Japan by 14 |
| Countries with the largest cumulative CO2 emissions including land use2026-11-02 | #10 · 74.89 billion tonnes | #23 · 20.97 billion tonnes | Japan by 13 |
| Countries with the highest military spending2026-11-02 | #10 · 59.49 billion US dollars | #11 · 48.85 billion US dollars | Japan by 1 |
| Countries using the most fossil fuel energy per person2026-11-02 | #22 · 31.9k kWh per person | #10 · 56.7k kWh per person | South Korea by 12 |
| Countries with the largest share of global services exports2026-11-02 | #10 · 2.3 % | #18 · 1.77 % | Japan by 8 |
| Countries getting the most electricity from nuclear power2026-11-02 | #23 · 9.14 % | #12 · 29.56 % | South Korea by 11 |
| Countries using the most water for agriculture2026-10-29 | #12 · 52.8 billion cubic meters | #32 · 15.96 billion cubic meters | Japan by 20 |
| Countries with the highest CO₂ emissions from cement2026-11-02 | #13 · 20.3 million tonnes | #12 · 20.57 million tonnes | South Korea by 1 |
| Countries with the highest death rates from Parkinson's disease2026-11-02 | #12 · 11.89 per 100,000 people | #30 · 8.93 per 100,000 people | Japan by 18 |
| Countries producing the most pig meat2026-11-02 | #16 · 1,262.83 thousand tonnes | #12 · 1,455 thousand tonnes | South Korea by 4 |
| Countries producing the most rice2026-11-02 | #12 · 10.1k thousand tonnes | #18 · 4,783.11 thousand tonnes | Japan by 6 |
| Countries with the largest share of global CO2 from cement2026-11-02 | #13 · 1.38 % of global total | #12 · 1.4 % of global total | South Korea by 1 |
| Countries using the most pesticides2026-11-02 | #14 · 45.57 thousand tonnes | #24 · 20.4 thousand tonnes | Japan by 10 |
| Countries with the highest rice yields2026-11-02 | #14 · 6.96 tonnes per hectare | #15 · 6.86 tonnes per hectare | Japan by 1 |
| Countries with the highest stomach cancer death rates2026-11-02 | #14 · 8.23 deaths per 100,000 people | #22 · 6.7 deaths per 100,000 people | Japan by 8 |
| Countries with the highest energy use per person2026-11-02 | #44 · 37.19 MWh | #15 · 69.75 MWh | South Korea by 29 |
| Countries with the oldest liberal democracies2026-10-29 | #15 · 74 years | #40 · 1 years | Japan by 25 |
| Countries with the highest consumption-based CO2 per person2026-11-02 | #27 · 9.18 tonnes per person | #15 · 13.7 tonnes per person | South Korea by 12 |
| Countries with the highest lettuce yields2026-11-02 | #16 · 27.74 tonnes per hectare | #24 · 25.48 tonnes per hectare | Japan by 8 |
| Countries applying the most potash fertilizer per hectare2026-11-02 | #27 · 43.9 kilograms per hectare | #16 · 61.23 kilograms per hectare | South Korea by 11 |
| Countries with the highest share of adults with post-secondary education2026-11-02 | #27 · 41.63 % | #17 · 49.56 % | South Korea by 10 |
| Countries producing the most meat2026-11-02 | #18 · 4,198.55 thousand tonnes | #26 · 2,840.56 thousand tonnes | Japan by 8 |
| Countries importing the most palm oil2026-11-02 | #19 · 636 thousand tonnes | #18 · 658 thousand tonnes | South Korea by 1 |
| Countries generating the most fossil fuel electricity per person2026-11-02 | #23 · 5,629.74 kWh per person | #18 · 7,259.17 kWh per person | South Korea by 5 |
| Countries with the highest share of people living in the capital city2026-11-02 | #44 · 26.68 % | #18 · 42.88 % | South Korea by 26 |
| Countries with the most installed wind energy capacity2026-11-02 | #19 · 6.25 gigawatts | #36 · 2.45 gigawatts | Japan by 17 |
| Countries with the most immigrants2026-11-02 | #19 · 3,409.53 thousand people | #41 · 1,811.51 thousand people | Japan by 22 |
| Countries with the highest fossil CO2 emissions per person2026-11-02 | #35 · 7.97 tonnes of CO2-equivalents per person | #19 · 12.01 tonnes of CO2-equivalents per person | South Korea by 16 |
| Countries with the highest CO2 emissions per person including land use2026-11-02 | #35 · 7.82 tonnes per person | #19 · 11.22 tonnes per person | South Korea by 16 |
| Countries with the highest CO2 emissions per person2026-11-02 | #36 · 7.77 t | #21 · 11.29 t | South Korea by 15 |
| Countries with the highest freshwater withdrawals2026-11-02 | #46 · 35.4 % of internal resources | #21 · 85.22 % of internal resources | South Korea by 25 |
| Countries with the highest rotavirus vaccination coverage in children2026-11-02 | #21 · 94 % | #22 · 94 % | Japan by 1 |
| Countries with the highest pneumococcal vaccination coverage in children2026-11-02 | #31 · 96 % | #22 · 97 % | South Korea by 9 |
| Countries with the highest CO2 emissions from gas per person2026-11-02 | #40 · 1.58 tonnes per person | #22 · 2.5 tonnes per person | South Korea by 18 |
| Countries with the highest pre-primary school enrolment2026-11-02 | #34 · 92.28 % | #22 · 95.6 % | South Korea by 12 |
| Countries with the highest cereal yields2026-11-02 | #26 · 6.25 tonnes per hectare | #22 · 6.54 tonnes per hectare | South Korea by 4 |
| Countries with the highest death rates from Alzheimer's and dementias2026-11-02 | #24 · 52.6 per 100,000 people | #49 · 24.95 per 100,000 people | Japan by 25 |
| Countries using the most pesticides per hectare of cropland2026-11-02 | #31 · 10.61 kg per hectare | #25 · 13.49 kg per hectare | South Korea by 6 |
| Countries with the highest polio vaccine coverage2026-11-02 | #25 · 98 % | #44 · 97 % | Japan by 19 |
| Countries producing the most soybeans2026-11-02 | #25 · 252.4 thousand tonnes | #36 · 154.95 thousand tonnes | Japan by 11 |
| Countries with the most registered vehicles per 1,000 people2026-11-02 | #26 · 641.73 per 1,000 people | #41 · 500.62 per 1,000 people | Japan by 15 |
| Countries with the highest bean yields2026-10-29 | #27 · 1.76 tonnes per hectare | #36 · 1.43 tonnes per hectare | Japan by 9 |
| Countries producing the most beef2026-10-30 | #29 · 461.91 thousand tonnes | #36 · 370 thousand tonnes | Japan by 7 |
| Countries with the highest groundnut yields2026-11-02 | #29 · 2.66 tonnes per hectare | #30 · 2.5 tonnes per hectare | Japan by 1 |
| Countries with the most adults who drank alcohol in the last year2026-11-02 | #40 · 67.5 % | #29 · 72.48 % | South Korea by 11 |
| Countries with the highest share of people using safely managed drinking water2026-11-02 | #37 · 98.73 % | #30 · 99.28 % | South Korea by 7 |
| Countries with the highest second-dose measles vaccination coverage2026-11-02 | #31 · 95 % | #37 · 95 % | Japan by 6 |
| Countries with the largest current account surpluses relative to GDP2026-11-02 | #37 · 4.82 % of GDP | #33 · 5.28 % of GDP | South Korea by 4 |
| Countries with the most mental health units in general hospitals2026-11-02 | #33 · 0.45 per 100,000 people | #39 · 0.39 per 100,000 people | Japan by 6 |
| Countries with the highest wheat yields2026-11-02 | #34 · 4.44 tonnes per hectare | #39 · 3.92 tonnes per hectare | Japan by 5 |
| Countries with the highest GDP per person employed2026-11-02 | #44 · 87.9k international dollars | #36 · 99.0k international dollars | South Korea by 8 |
| Countries using the most nitrogen fertilizer2026-11-02 | #36 · 337.6 thousand tonnes | #47 · 211.41 thousand tonnes | Japan by 11 |
| Countries with the highest share of births outside marriage2026-11-02 | #41 · 2.4 % | #39 · 4.72 % | South Korea by 2 |
| Countries with the highest millet yields2026-11-02 | #50 · 0.89 tonnes per hectare | #44 · 1 tonnes per hectare | South Korea by 6 |
| Countries with the highest tomato yields2026-11-02 | #46 · 62.51 tonnes per hectare | #45 · 62.62 tonnes per hectare | South Korea by 1 |
| Countries with the highest plug-in hybrid share of car sales2026-11-02 | #46 · 1.21 % | #49 · 0.86 % | Japan by 3 |
History
Rank history in Countries with the highest beef yield per animal
Chart data as a table
| Name | 2026-10-29 | 2026-11-02 |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 1 | 1 |
| South Korea | 13 | 13 |
Head to head
Japan vs South Korea, explained
Japan vs South Korea, head to head across 126 shared rankings. Japan ranks higher in 82, South Korea ranks higher in 44. 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 highest beef yield per animal, Japan is #1 with 450 kilograms per animal and South Korea is #13 with 332 kilograms per animal (Japan ahead by 12); in Countries with the most hospital beds per 1,000 people, Japan is #3 with 12.59 per 1,000 people and South Korea is #1 with 12.81 per 1,000 people (South Korea ahead by 2); in Countries with the highest life expectancy at birth, Japan is #1 with 84.46 years and South Korea is #3 with 83.8 years (Japan ahead by 2); in Countries with the most students reaching minimum maths level (lower sec.), Japan is #1 with 91.73 % and South Korea is #6 with 83.78 % (Japan ahead by 5); in Countries with the highest healthy life expectancy at birth, Japan is #2 with 73.4 years and South Korea is #3 with 72.45 years (Japan ahead by 1); in Countries with the most researchers per million people, Japan is #19 with 5,608.63 per million people and South Korea is #2 with 9,471.83 per million people (South Korea ahead by 17).
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 South Korea?
- Japan ranks higher in more shared rankings (82 of 126). In Countries with the highest beef yield per animal, Japan is #1 and South Korea is #13.
- In how many rankings do Japan and South Korea both appear?
- 126 current rankings.
- How current is this comparison?
- The newest shared snapshot was captured on 2026-11-02.