Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Timor-Leste, you would:
Health
live 16.1 years longer
In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
see 11.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 3.5 times more doctors per person
Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
have 59.6% more access to essential health services
Timor-Leste scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Japan scores 83 as of 2021.
be 63.4% more likely to be obese
In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
be 4.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 61.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Timor-Leste, 41.8% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Japan, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2013.
make 26.8 times more money
Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
be 54.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 98.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 94.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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.
have 73.8% fewer children
In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 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 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
be 13.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Timor-Leste, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Japan, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 36.3% less on education
Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 11.9% more on healthcare
Timor-Leste spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 42.1 times more coastline
Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 77.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3863.0 times more home broadband
Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
live with 29.6% more strain on fresh water
Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
Environment
be 80.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.7 times more CO2
Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Japan emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2013–2014), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Timor-Leste vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.