Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years longer
In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 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 81.3% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 43.9% more spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 11.5% fewer doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
be 10.2 times more likely to die by suicide
United Arab Emirates has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.9% more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
make 28.5% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
Life
be 52.6% less likely to die during infancy
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.8 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 42.0% fewer children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 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 14.5% less likely to have internet access
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.1% less on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 22.6 times more coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 66.7% less likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Japan, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 54.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In United Arab Emirates, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.6% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
use 50.7% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 82.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In United Arab Emirates, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 57.1% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.