Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Estonia instead of Japan, you would:
Health
have 31.0% more doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Estonia has 34.7 as of 2022.
be 14.3% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Estonia, it is 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.7 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 79 years (75 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.4 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.
see 30.3% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Estonia spends $3,741 as of 2024.
Economy
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Estonia, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 16.7% less 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 Estonia, on the other hand, 1.5 children do as of 2024.
have 24.6% more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Estonia, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 66.7% 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 Estonia, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 27.0% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Estonia, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 56.0% more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Estonia spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 87.2% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Estonia, that number is 3,794 km.
Safety
be 6.7 times more likely to be murdered
Japan has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Estonia, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 10.1% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Japan, 83% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Estonia, that number is 75% as of 2021.
be 63.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Estonia, they kill 4.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 64.4% less strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Estonia withdraws 13% as of 2022.
use 29.6% less electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Estonia uses 5,298 kWh 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: Japan vs. Estonia
Estonia: At a glance
How big is Estonia compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.