Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
live 2.1 years longer
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 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 59.8% less likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 34.5% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 31.7% fewer doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
be 51.6% more likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 36.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
make 51.2% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Netherlands, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 47.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Netherlands, approximately 3.4 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 38.0% fewer children
In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 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 11.8% less likely to have internet access
In Netherlands, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.5% less on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
Geography
see 66.0 times more coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 66.7% less likely to be murdered
Netherlands has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 20.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 17.9% more electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
find 10.1% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 18.8% more CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Japan emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Netherlands vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.