Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Japan, you would:
Health
see 39.6% more spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 34.9% more doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
live 1.7 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.5 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 69.0% more money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
Life
have 61.4% more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 33.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 72.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Belgium, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.0% more likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Belgium, about 95.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 88.0% more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 99.8% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 4.7 times more likely to be murdered
Japan has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 25.9% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Japan, 83% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Belgium, that number is 62% as of 2021.
be 70.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 14.5% more home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
live with 44.2% more strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 25.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Japan vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.