Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 23.4 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 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 55.6% less likely to be obese
In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 51.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 14.1 times more doctors per person
Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
have 2.0 times more access to essential health services
Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Japan scores 83 as of 2021.
be 4.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 13.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Mali, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
make 30.1 times more money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
Life
be 99.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mali, approximately 367.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 96.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Mali, approximately 47.5 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 85.6% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 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 83.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% 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 2.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
be 14.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Mali, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Japan, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.1% less on education
Mali spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 2.8 times more on healthcare
Mali spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 86.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mali, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 50.2 times more home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
live with 4.6 times more strain on fresh water
Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
Environment
be 81.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 26.1 times more CO2
Mali emits 0.3 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mali vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.