Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Gabon, you would:
Health
live 15.5 years longer
In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 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.
be 74.0% less likely to be obese
In Gabon, 22.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 8.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Gabon spends $673 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 5.1 times more doctors per person
Gabon has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
have 69.4% more access to essential health services
Gabon scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Japan scores 83 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Gabon has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 87.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Gabon, 20.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
make 4.4 times more money
Gabon has a GDP per capita of $8,263 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gabon, approximately 233.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 93.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Gabon, approximately 25.9 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 79.0% fewer children
In Gabon, there are approximately 27.1 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 24.5% more likely to have internet access
In Gabon, approximately 68.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
be 11.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Gabon, approximately 89% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Japan, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 44.0% more on education
Gabon spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 3.4 times more on healthcare
Gabon spends 3.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 33.6 times more coastline
Gabon has a total of 885 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 78.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gabon, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 8.2 times more home broadband
Gabon has 4.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
use 7.4 times more electricity
Gabon uses 1,023 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
live with 73.3 times more strain on fresh water
Gabon withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
Environment
be 77.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gabon, air pollution causes 53.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.8 times more CO2
Gabon emits 2.0 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gabon vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Gabon? See an in-depth size comparison.