Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years longer
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 78.8% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 38.8% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 31.6% fewer doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
be 2.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 47.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
make 72.7% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 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 Ireland, 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 47.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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 43.0% fewer children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 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 12.0% less likely to have internet access
In Ireland, approximately 97.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.2% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 56.8% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 20.5 times more coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 64.6% less likely to be murdered
Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 11.2% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Ireland, 75% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Japan, that number is 83% as of 2019.
Infrastructure
find 19.6% more home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
use 19.6% more electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
live with 4.6 times more strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 29.8% more CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Japan emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.