Quality of life comparison
If you lived in France instead of Japan, you would:
Health
see 28.0% more spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). France spends $6,868 as of 2024.
have 23.9% more doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. France has 32.8 as of 2022.
live 1.1 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In France, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 89.7% more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In France, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 36.3% more money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in France, the GDP per capita is $48,986 as of 2025.
be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In France, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 70.2% more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In France, there are 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.3 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 France, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 88.9% 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 France, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 59.3% more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. France spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 83.7% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In France, that number is 4,853 km.
Safety
be 5.8 times more likely to be murdered
Japan has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In France, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 74.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In France, they kill 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 26.7% more home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. France has 48.9 as of 2024.
live with 41.6% less strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. France withdraws 21% as of 2022.
use 14.4% less electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. France uses 6,447 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 16.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In France, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 49.0% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. France emits 4.0 tonnes 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. France
France: At a glance
How big is France compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.