Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Tuvalu instead of Japan, you would:
Health
live 16.8 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 11.0 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 65.1% of people as of 2024.
see 68.9% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tuvalu spends $1,671 as of 2023.
have 49.2% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Tuvalu has 13.5 as of 2020.
have 37.3% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tuvalu scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Japan, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In Tuvalu, however, that number is 26.3% as of 2010.
make 83.2% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Tuvalu, the GDP per capita is $6,041 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.9 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tuvalu, there are 22.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 56.7 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 Tuvalu, 170.0 women do as of 2023.
be 9.2 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 Tuvalu, on the other hand, 16.5 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.8 times more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Tuvalu spends 12.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tuvalu, that number is 27.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.9% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Tuvalu, that number is 24 km.
Safety
be 6.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tuvalu, they kill 17.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 88.3% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Tuvalu has 4.5 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2010–2013), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Japan vs. Tuvalu
Tuvalu: At a glance
How big is Tuvalu compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.