Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Japan, you would:
Health
be 46.6% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In North Korea, it is 9.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.3 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.0 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 11.9% of people as of 2024.
have 18.1% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. North Korea scores 68 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In North Korea, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In North Korea, there are 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 22.3 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 North Korea, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 7.4 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 North Korea, on the other hand, 13.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 42.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Japan, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In North Korea, that number is 58% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 91.6% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
Infrastructure
live with 24.3% less strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. North Korea withdraws 28% as of 2022.
use 89.5% less electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. North Korea uses 789 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 68.1% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In North Korea, it causes 86.0 as of 2019.
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. North Korea
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.