Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
Health
live 10.2 years longer
In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 80.8% less likely to be obese
In Dominican Republic, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 4.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Dominican Republic spends $1,169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
be 4.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Dominican Republic has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 51.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
make 3.3 times more money
Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
Life
be 97.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Dominican Republic, approximately 124.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 93.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Dominican Republic, approximately 27.7 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 67.7% fewer children
In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Japan, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.2% less on education
Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Dominican Republic spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 23.1 times more coastline
Dominican Republic has a total of 1,288 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 97.9% less likely to be murdered
Dominican Republic has a homicide rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Dominican Republic, 40% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Japan, that number is 83% as of 2019.
be 90.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.4 times more home broadband
Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
use 4.0 times more electricity
Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 55.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.6 times more CO2
Dominican Republic emits 3.0 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Dominican Republic vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.