Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Yemen, you would:
Health
live 14.6 years longer
In Yemen, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 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 55.7% less likely to be obese
In Yemen, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 31.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Yemen spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 27.0 times more doctors per person
Yemen has 1.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
have 97.6% more access to essential health services
Yemen scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Japan scores 83 as of 2021.
be 4.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Yemen has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 85.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Yemen, 17.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
be 66.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Yemen, 48.6% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Japan, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2013.
Life
be 97.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Yemen, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 94.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Yemen, approximately 33.8 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 83.4% fewer children
In Yemen, there are approximately 34.4 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 19.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Yemen, approximately 84% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Yemen, approximately 17.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
be 32.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Yemen, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Japan, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.7% more on healthcare
Yemen spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 15.6 times more coastline
Yemen has a total of 1,906 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.
Safety
be 90.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Yemen, road accidents kill 29.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 30.4 times more home broadband
Yemen has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
live with 78.4% less strain on fresh water
Yemen withdraws 170% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
use 83.9 times more electricity
Yemen uses 90 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Japan uses 7,530 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 89.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Yemen, air pollution causes 109.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 30.2 times more CO2
Yemen emits 0.3 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 (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2013–2014), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Yemen vs. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Yemen? See an in-depth size comparison.