Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of India, you would:
Health
live 11.8 years longer
In India, the average life expectancy is 72 years (71 years for men, 74 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 26.3% less likely to be obese
In India, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 15.5 times more spent on your healthcare
India spends $346 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 3.7 times more doctors per person
India has 7.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
have 31.7% more access to essential health services
India scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Japan scores 83 as of 2021.
be 38.8% more likely to die by suicide
India has a suicide rate of 12.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.9% less likely to be unemployed
In India, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
be 26.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In India, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2011. In Japan, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2013.
make 13.3 times more money
India has a GDP per capita of $2,702 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
Life
be 96.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In India, approximately 80.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 92.3% less likely to die during infancy
In India, approximately 23.3 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 64.3% fewer children
In India, there are approximately 16.0 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 22.2% more likely to have internet access
In India, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.5% less on education
India spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 3.2 times more on healthcare
India spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.3 times more coastline
India has a total of 7,000 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 91.8% less likely to be murdered
India has a homicide rate of 2.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Japan, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 82.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In India, road accidents kill 15.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.3 times more home broadband
India has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
live with 44.9% less strain on fresh water
India withdraws 66% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
use 6.4 times more electricity
India uses 1,182 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 85.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In India, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.6 times more CO2
India emits 2.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Japan emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2011–2013), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: India vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to India? See an in-depth size comparison.