The map above shows Iowa and Japan side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Japan Geography
Land area: Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Japan has 140,752 square miles (364,546 km²). Japan's land area is 2.5 times (152%) larger than Iowa's.
Total area: Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Japan: 145,937 square miles (377,975 km²), including inland and coastal water. Japan's total area is 2.6 times (159%) larger than Iowa's.
Length: Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Japan is 1,557 miles (2,505 km). Japan's north-south length is 7.2 times (621%) longer than Iowa's.
Width: Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Japan spans 1,568 miles (2,524 km). Japan's east-west width is 4.7 times (368%) wider than Iowa's.
Highest point: Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Japan's is Mount Fuji at 12,388 feet (3,776 m). Mount Fuji is 10,719 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point: Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Japan's is Hachirogata at -13 feet. Japan's lowest point is 493 feet lower.
Iowa vs Japan Population and History
Population: Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Japan has 122,680,000 (2026). Japan's population is 37.8 times larger than Iowa's.
Population density: Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Japan: 871.6. Japan's population density is 15.0 times higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city: Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Japan's is Tokyo with 13,515,271. Tokyo's population is 63.4 times larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area: Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Japan's Tokyo (33,412,512). Tokyo's population is 33.4 times larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History: Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state. Japan: An independent state for over two millennia; the current constitution dates from 1947. In its current form, Japan is the older of the two by 1,186 years.
Iowa vs Japan Economy
GDP: Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Japan's $4,435.2 billion. Japan's economic output is 16.7 times larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita: Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Japan: $35,951. Iowa's GDP per capita is 2.3 times (128%) higher than Japan's.
Average income: Iowa: $65,225 vs Japan: $38,340 average income per person (per capita personal income). Iowa's average income is 1.7 times (70%) higher than Japan's.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Japan official website
More Size Comparisons
All Iowa size comparisons · All Japan size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.