Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.8 years less

In Japan, the average life expectancy is 86 years (83 years for men, 90 years for women) as of 2020. In France, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2020.

be 5.0 times more likely to be obese

In Japan, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In France, that number is 21.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 11.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Japan, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In France, however, that number is 14.2% as of 2015.

pay a 10.3% lower top tax rate

Japan has a top tax rate of 56.0% as of 2016. In France, the top tax rate is 50.2% as of 2016.

be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Japan, 2.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In France, that number is 9.4% as of 2017.

Life

have 63.0% more children

In Japan, there are approximately 7.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In France, there are 11.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

be 60.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Japan, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In France, 8.0 women do as of 2017.

be 68.4% more likely to die during infancy

In Japan, approximately 1.9 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In France, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 54.3% more on education

Japan spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2016. France spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2016.

Geography

see 83.7% less coastline

Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In France, that number is 4,853 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Direction Générale des Finances Publiques, National Tax Agency Japan.

France: At a glance

France is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 549,970 sq km. France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-8, the G-20, the EU and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing DE GAULLE's 1966 decision to take French forces out of NATO. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier, more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent decades, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common currency, the euro, in January 1999. In the early 21st century, five French overseas entities - French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion - became French regions and were made part of France proper.
Read more

How big is France compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about France. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.