Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.1 years less

In Japan, the average life expectancy is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022. In Finland, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 5.2 times more likely to be obese

In Japan, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Finland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 24.2% more money

Japan has a GDP per capita of $46,300 as of 2023, while in Finland, the GDP per capita is $57,500 as of 2023.

be 24.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Japan, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In Finland, however, that number is 12.2% as of 2022.

be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In Japan, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Finland, that number is 7.2% as of 2023.

Life

have 47.8% more children

In Japan, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Finland, there are 10.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Japan, approximately 4.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Finland, 8.0 women do as of 2020.

be 12.1% 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 Finland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 12.0% more likely to have internet access

In Japan, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Finland, about 93.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 11.9% less on healthcare

Japan spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Finland, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 73.5% more on education

Japan spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Finland spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 95.8% less coastline

Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Finland, that number is 1,250 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Finland: At a glance

Finland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 303,815 sq km. Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It gained complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it successfully defended its independence through cooperation with Germany and resisted subsequent invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, Finland transformed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro single currency at its initiation in January 1999. In the 21st century, the key features of Finland's modern welfare state are high quality education, promotion of equality, and a national social welfare system - currently challenged by an aging population and the fluctuations of an export-driven economy.
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How big is Finland compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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