Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Estonia instead of Japan, you would:

Health

live 7.0 years less

In Japan, the average life expectancy is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022. In Estonia, that number is 78 years (73 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.

be 4.9 times more likely to be obese

In Japan, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Estonia, that number is 21.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 64.3% lower top tax rate

Japan has a top tax rate of 56.0% as of 2016. In Estonia, the top tax rate is 20.0% as of 2016.

be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Japan, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Estonia, that number is 6.3% as of 2023.

be 39.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Japan, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In Estonia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.

Life

have 18.8% more children

In Japan, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Estonia, there are 8.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 25.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Japan, approximately 4.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Estonia, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 80.0% more likely to die during infancy

In Japan, approximately 1.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Estonia, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 15.8% more likely to have internet access

In Japan, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Estonia, about 96.1% do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 28.4% less on healthcare

Japan spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Estonia, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 94.1% more on education

Japan spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Estonia spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 87.2% less coastline

Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Estonia, that number is 3,794 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Estonian Tax and Customs Board, The World Factbook, National Tax Agency Japan.

Estonia: At a glance

Estonia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 42,388 sq km. After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US - it regained its freedom in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with the West. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004, formally joined the OECD in late 2010, and adopted the euro as its official currency on 1 January 2011.
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How big is Estonia compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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