Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
be 29.5% less likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
be 36.7% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 11.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Japan, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2013.
Life
be 25.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Korea, 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 21.7% less likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, approximately 2.3 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 21.3% more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 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 12.6% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 97.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.3% less on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 23.7% more on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 12.3 times more coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 52.1% less likely to be murdered
South Korea has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 30.1% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In South Korea, 64% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Japan, that number is 83% as of 2019.
be 60.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 57.0% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
find 19.2% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
use 33.7% less electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 36.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 31.0% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Japan emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2013–2016), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.