Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vietnam instead of Japan, you would:
Health
be 59.3% less likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
be 58.1% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vietnam, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.3 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
see 87.1% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vietnam spends $690 as of 2023.
have 58.2% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Vietnam has 11.1 as of 2021.
have 18.1% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vietnam scores 68 as of 2021.
Economy
be 38.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vietnam, that number is 1.5% as of 2025.
make 85.9% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Vietnam, the GDP per capita is $5,066 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vietnam, there are 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 16.0 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 Vietnam, 48.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.7 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 Vietnam, on the other hand, 12.0 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.5% less on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Vietnam spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 57.5% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vietnam, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 88.4% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Vietnam, that number is 3,444 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 Vietnam, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 50.5% less strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Vietnam withdraws 18% as of 2022.
find 38.6% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Vietnam has 23.7 as of 2024.
use 65.7% less electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 45.5% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vietnam, it causes 52.0 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. Vietnam
Vietnam: At a glance
How big is Vietnam compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.