Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
live 1.7 years longer
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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 71.7% less likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 28.4% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 25.9% fewer doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
Economy
be 58.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
make 40.8% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Belgium, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 41.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Japan, on the other hand, 1.8 children do as of 2024.
have 38.0% fewer children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Japan, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 10.7% less likely to have internet access
In Belgium, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.8% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
Geography
see 447.4 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 78.7% less likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 34.9% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Belgium, 62% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Japan, that number is 83% as of 2019.
be 41.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 30.6% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
find 12.7% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
Environment
be 20.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.