Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kuwait instead of Japan, you would:
Health
be 86.7% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kuwait, it is 2.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 6.9 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kuwait, that number is 40.4% of people as of 2024.
see 52.2% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kuwait spends $2,567 as of 2023.
have 14.2% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Kuwait has 22.7 as of 2020.
Economy
be 11.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kuwait, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 10.1% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Kuwait, the GDP per capita is $32,312 as of 2025.
Life
have 75.8% more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kuwait, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.7 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 Kuwait, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.9 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 Kuwait, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.9% more likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kuwait, about 100.0% do as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 53.8% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kuwait, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 92.8% more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Kuwait spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 98.3% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Kuwait, that number is 499 km.
Safety
be 3.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kuwait, they kill 9.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 2.2 times more electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh as of 2023.
find 97.4% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Kuwait has 1.0 as of 2023.
live with 105.1 times more strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kuwait withdraws 3850% as of 2022.
Environment
be 3.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kuwait, it causes 45.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.0 times more CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Japan vs. Kuwait
Kuwait: At a glance
How big is Kuwait compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.