If you lived in Djibouti instead of Japan, you would:

Health

be 54.3% less likely to die by suicide

Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Djibouti, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 17.8 years less

In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 97.5% more likely to be obese

In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 11.7% of people as of 2024.

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see 97.1% less spent on your healthcare

Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Djibouti spends $155 as of 2023.

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have 92.0% fewer doctors per person

Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Djibouti has 2.1 as of 2022.

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have 47.0% less access to essential health services

Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Djibouti scores 44 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 10.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Djibouti, that number is 26.0% as of 2025.

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make 89.1% less money

Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Djibouti, the GDP per capita is $3,906 as of 2025.

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Life

have 3.7 times more children

In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Djibouti, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 54.0 times 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 Djibouti, 162.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 23.9 times 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 Djibouti, on the other hand, 43.0 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 34.8% less likely to have access to electricity

In Japan, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Djibouti, that number is 65% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 23.7% less likely to have internet access

In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Djibouti, about 65.3% do as of 2024.

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be 19.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Japan, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Djibouti, 80% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 78.8% less on healthcare

Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Djibouti, that number is 2.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 12.3% more on education

Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Djibouti spends 3.8% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

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Geography

see 98.9% less coastline

Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Djibouti, that number is 314 km.

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Safety

be 8.6 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Djibouti, they kill 23.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 82.7% less strain on fresh water

Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Djibouti withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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find 96.2% less home broadband

Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Djibouti has 1.5 as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 90.2% less CO2

Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Djibouti emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 4.9 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Djibouti, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Djibouti: At a glance

Djibouti is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 23,180 sq km. The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afar minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 with a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Somali Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multiparty presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH as president; he was reelected to a second term in 2005 and extended his tenure in office via a constitutional amendment, which allowed him to begin a third term in 2011. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and serves as an important shipping portal for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands and transshipments between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The government holds longstanding ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, and has strong ties with the United States. Djibouti hosts several thousand members of US armed services at US-run Camp Lemonnier.
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