Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Belarus, you would:
Health
live 9.7 years longer
In Belarus, the average life expectancy is 74 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 71.4% less likely to be obese
In Belarus, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Belarus spends $2,194 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 43.8% fewer doctors per person
Belarus has 47.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
be 11.7% more likely to die by suicide
Belarus has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 27.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Belarus, 3.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
make 3.5 times more money
Belarus has a GDP per capita of $10,279 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
Life
be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Belarus, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
have 18.9% fewer children
In Belarus, there are approximately 7.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Japan, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.9% less on education
Belarus spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 51.7% more on healthcare
Belarus spends 7.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 63.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Belarus, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 79.4% more electricity
Belarus uses 4,198 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
live with 7.9 times more strain on fresh water
Belarus withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
Environment
be 82.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Belarus, air pollution causes 68.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 32.0% more CO2
Belarus emits 5.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Japan emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Belarus vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Belarus? See an in-depth size comparison.