Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in United States instead of Japan, you would:

Health

live 4.2 years less

In Japan, the average life expectancy is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022. In United States, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.

be 8.4 times more likely to be obese

In Japan, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In United States, that number is 36.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 59.0% more money

Japan has a GDP per capita of $46,300 as of 2023, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $73,600 as of 2023.

pay a 29.2% lower top tax rate

Japan has a top tax rate of 56.0% as of 2016. In United States, the top tax rate is 39.6% as of 2016.

be 40.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Japan, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In United States, that number is 3.6% as of 2023.

Life

have 76.8% more children

In Japan, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 5.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Japan, approximately 4.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In United States, 21.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.7 times 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 United States, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 10.8% more likely to have internet access

In Japan, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In United States, about 92.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 79.4% more on education

Japan spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. United States spends 6.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 72.5% more on healthcare

Japan spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In United States, that number is 18.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 33.0% less coastline

Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Service, National Tax Agency Japan.

United States: At a glance

United States (sometimes abbreviated US or USA) is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 9,147,593 sq km. Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. Since the end of World War II, the economy has achieved relatively steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
Read more

How big is United States compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about United States.or Japan It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.