Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Kenya, you would:
Health
live 20.2 years longer
In Kenya, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 47.7% less likely to be obese
In Kenya, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 19.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Kenya spends $274 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 9.2 times more doctors per person
Kenya has 2.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
have 56.6% more access to essential health services
Kenya scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Japan scores 83 as of 2021.
be 3.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Kenya has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 55.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Kenya, 5.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
make 15.2 times more money
Kenya has a GDP per capita of $2,363 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Kenya, approximately 149.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 94.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Kenya, approximately 34.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Japan, on the other hand, 1.8 children do as of 2024.
have 78.9% fewer children
In Kenya, there are approximately 27.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Japan, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 31.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Kenya, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Kenya, approximately 35.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
be 51.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Kenya, approximately 66% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Japan, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.9% less on education
Kenya spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Kenya spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 55.5 times more coastline
Kenya has a total of 536 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 95.3% less likely to be murdered
Kenya has a homicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Japan, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 90.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Kenya, road accidents kill 28.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.7 times more home broadband
Kenya has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
use 38.6 times more electricity
Kenya uses 195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
live with 10.2% more strain on fresh water
Kenya withdraws 33% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
Environment
be 63.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Kenya, air pollution causes 33.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 20.6 times more CO2
Kenya emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Japan emits 7.8 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: Kenya vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Kenya? See an in-depth size comparison.