Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Turkmenistan, you would:
Health
live 13.8 years longer
In Turkmenistan, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 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 73.4% less likely to be obese
In Turkmenistan, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 4.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Turkmenistan spends $1,264 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 37.3% more doctors per person
Turkmenistan has 19.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
have 10.7% more access to essential health services
Turkmenistan scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Japan scores 83 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Turkmenistan has a suicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 42.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Turkmenistan, 4.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
make 5.5 times more money
Turkmenistan has a GDP per capita of $6,540 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
be 80.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Turkmenistan, 0.2% live below the poverty line as of 2012. In Japan, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2013.
Life
be 40.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Turkmenistan, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 94.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Turkmenistan, approximately 30.4 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.
have 72.7% fewer children
In Turkmenistan, there are approximately 20.9 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 3.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Turkmenistan, approximately 25.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.1% less on education
Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 95.3% more on healthcare
Turkmenistan spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 66.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Turkmenistan, road accidents kill 8.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 7.4 times more home broadband
Turkmenistan has 5.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
live with 72.9% less strain on fresh water
Turkmenistan withdraws 135% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
use 2.7 times more electricity
Turkmenistan uses 2,778 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 86.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Turkmenistan, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 27.8% less CO2
Turkmenistan emits 10.9 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 (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2012–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Turkmenistan vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Turkmenistan? See an in-depth size comparison.