Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Ethiopia, you would:
Health
live 16.4 years longer
In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
see 62.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Ethiopia spends $86 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 18.5 times more doctors per person
Ethiopia has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
have 2.4 times more access to essential health services
Ethiopia scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Japan scores 83 as of 2021.
be 2.0 times more likely to be obese
In Ethiopia, 2.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Ethiopia has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 26.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Ethiopia, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
make 38.5 times more money
Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $933 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ethiopia, approximately 195.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 94.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Ethiopia, approximately 34.5 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 81.9% fewer children
In Ethiopia, there are approximately 31.5 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 80.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Ethiopia, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Ethiopia, approximately 21.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
be 78.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Ethiopia, approximately 56% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Japan, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 45.2% more on education
Ethiopia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 3.8 times more on healthcare
Ethiopia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 84.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ethiopia, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 65.5 times more home broadband
Ethiopia has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
use 66.9 times more electricity
Ethiopia uses 113 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
live with 13.6% more strain on fresh water
Ethiopia withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
Environment
be 73.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ethiopia, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 52.3 times more CO2
Ethiopia emits 0.1 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: Ethiopia vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.