Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Russia, you would:
Health
be 91.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Russia, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2017. In Japan, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2020.
live 10.6 years longer
In Russia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 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 66.5% less likely to be obese
In Russia, 17.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 67.5% more spent on your healthcare
Russia spends $3,204 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
be 18.4% less likely to die by suicide
Russia has a suicide rate of 21.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
have 48.2% fewer doctors per person
Russia has 51.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
Economy
make 2.0 times more money
Russia has a GDP per capita of $17,547 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
be 15.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Russia, 2.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 66.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Russia, approximately 9.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 56.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Russia, approximately 4.1 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 32.1% fewer children
In Russia, there are approximately 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Japan, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.7% less on education
Russia 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 52.6% more on healthcare
Russia spends 7.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 21.0% less coastline
Russia has a total of 37,653 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 96.6% less likely to be murdered
Russia has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 74.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Russia, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 42.4% more home broadband
Russia has 27.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
live with 8.9 times more strain on fresh water
Russia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
Environment
be 69.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Russia, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 43.9% less CO2
Russia emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Japan emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2017–2020), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Russia vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.