Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Poland, you would:
Health
live 5.6 years longer
In Poland, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 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 72.9% less likely to be obese
In Poland, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 36.2% more spent on your healthcare
Poland spends $3,939 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 34.3% fewer doctors per person
Poland has 40.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
be 27.5% more likely to die by suicide
Poland has a suicide rate of 13.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 17.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Poland, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
make 26.5% more money
Poland has a GDP per capita of $28,420 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
Life
be 50.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Poland, approximately 3.6 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.
be 50.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Poland, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
have 17.4% fewer children
In Poland, there are approximately 6.9 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 10.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Poland, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Japan, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.5% less on education
Poland spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 33.3% more on healthcare
Poland spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 67.6 times more coastline
Poland has a total of 440 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 71.2% less likely to be murdered
Poland has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 7.5 times more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Poland, 11% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Japan, that number is 83% as of 2019.
be 58.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Poland, road accidents kill 6.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 52.3% more home broadband
Poland has 25.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
use 72.3% more electricity
Poland uses 4,370 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
live with 12.8% more strain on fresh water
Poland withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
Environment
be 70.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Poland, air pollution causes 41.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Poland vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Poland? See an in-depth size comparison.