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

Health

have 58.2% more doctors per person

Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Italy has 41.9 as of 2022.

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be 59.9% less likely to die by suicide

Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 2.4 times more likely to be obese

In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 20.5% more money

Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.

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be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.

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Life

have 10.5% more children

In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 100.0% 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 Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 27.8% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 21.4% less on healthcare

Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2024.

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spend 21.9% more on education

Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Italy spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Geography

see 74.5% less coastline

Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.

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Safety

be 2.5 times more likely to be murdered

Japan has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 27.3% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night

In Japan, 83% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Italy, that number is 61% as of 2016.

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be 85.2% more likely to die in a road accident

In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Italy, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 18.8% less strain on fresh water

Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Italy withdraws 30% as of 2022.

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find 17.7% less home broadband

Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Italy has 31.8 as of 2024.

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use 31.8% less electricity

Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Italy uses 5,137 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 35.2% less CO2

Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Italy emits 5.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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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 Italy, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2016–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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