Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Japan, you would:
Health
have 28.6% more doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
be 94.5% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.1 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 6.8 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
see 35.2% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 10.8% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 24.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.9 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.6 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 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 Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 47.0% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 34.1% more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 91.1% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 6.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 14.1% more home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 58.2% more electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 26.6 times more strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 7.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.