Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Thailand, you would:
Health
live 7.5 years longer
In Thailand, the average life expectancy is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 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 63.9% less likely to be obese
In Thailand, 16.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 5.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Thailand spends $1,067 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 4.9 times more doctors per person
Thailand has 5.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
Economy
make 4.5 times more money
Thailand has a GDP per capita of $8,057 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Thailand, 0.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 91.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Thailand, approximately 34.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 76.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Thailand, approximately 7.7 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 29.8% fewer children
In Thailand, there are approximately 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Japan, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.5% more on education
Thailand spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Thailand spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 9.2 times more coastline
Thailand has a total of 3,219 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 24.6% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Thailand, 67% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Japan, that number is 83% as of 2019.
be 89.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Thailand, road accidents kill 25.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.6 times more home broadband
Thailand has 14.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
use 2.5 times more electricity
Thailand uses 2,965 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
live with 59.2% more strain on fresh water
Thailand withdraws 23% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
Environment
be 58.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Thailand, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 98.0% more CO2
Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Japan emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Thailand vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Thailand? See an in-depth size comparison.