If you lived in Japan instead of Solomon Islands, you would:

Health

live 13.4 years longer

In Solomon Islands, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 73.0% less likely to be obese

In Solomon Islands, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.

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see 35.0 times more spent on your healthcare

Solomon Islands spends $153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.

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have 11.1 times more doctors per person

Solomon Islands has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.

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have 76.6% more access to essential health services

Solomon Islands scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Japan scores 83 as of 2021.

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be 11.1% less likely to die by suicide

Solomon Islands has a suicide rate of 19.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 17.2 times more money

Solomon Islands has a GDP per capita of $2,086 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.

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be 71.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Solomon Islands, 1.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.

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be 26.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Solomon Islands, 12.7% live below the poverty line as of 2012. In Japan, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2013.

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Life

be 97.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Solomon Islands, approximately 123.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 89.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Solomon Islands, approximately 16.4 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.

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have 78.7% fewer children

In Solomon Islands, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Japan, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 23.0% more likely to have access to electricity

In Solomon Islands, approximately 81% of people have electricity access (81% in urban areas, and 81% 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.

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be 2.9 times more likely to have internet access

In Solomon Islands, approximately 29.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.

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be 38.5% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Solomon Islands, approximately 72% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Japan, 99% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 59.7% less on education

Solomon Islands spends 8.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

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spend 2.0 times more on healthcare

Solomon Islands spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 5.6 times more coastline

Solomon Islands has a total of 5,313 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.

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Safety

be 75.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Solomon Islands, road accidents kill 11.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 351.2 times more home broadband

Solomon Islands has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.

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Environment

be 78.9% less likely to die from air pollution

In Solomon Islands, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.

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emit 20.6 times more CO2

Solomon Islands emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Japan emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2012–2013), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Japan: At a glance

Japan is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 364,485 sq km. In 1603, after decades of civil warfare, the Tokugawa shogunate (a military-led, dynastic government) ushered in a long period of relative political stability and isolation from foreign influence. For more than two centuries this policy enabled Japan to enjoy a flowering of its indigenous culture. Japan opened its ports after signing the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854 and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and an ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, elected politicians hold actual decision-making power. Following three decades of unprecedented growth, Japan's economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s, but the country remains a major economic power. In March 2011, Japan's strongest-ever earthquake, and an accompanying tsunami, devastated the northeast part of Honshu island, killing thousands and damaging several nuclear power plants. The catastrophe hobbled the country's economy and its energy infrastructure, and tested its ability to deal with humanitarian disasters.
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