Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Japan instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

live 13.1 years longer

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Japan, that number is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022.

be 36.8% less likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Japan, that number is 4.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 27.2 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $46,300 as of 2023.

be 14.0% less likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.

Life

be 96.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Japan, 4.0 women do as of 2020.

be 91.4% less likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 22.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Japan, on the other hand, 1.9 children do as of 2022.

have 47.7% fewer children

In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Japan, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 82.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 55% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Japan, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

Geography

see 11.9 times more coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.

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

Japan: At a glance

Japan is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 364,485 sq km. In 1603, after decades of civil warfare, the Tokugawa shogunate (a military-led, dynastic government) ushered in a long period of relative political stability and isolation from foreign influence. For more than two centuries this policy enabled Japan to enjoy a flowering of its indigenous culture. Japan opened its ports after signing the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854 and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and an ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, elected politicians hold actual decision-making power. Following three decades of unprecedented growth, Japan's economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s, but the country remains a major economic power. In March 2011, Japan's strongest-ever earthquake, and an accompanying tsunami, devastated the northeast part of Honshu island, killing thousands and damaging several nuclear power plants. The catastrophe hobbled the country's economy and its energy infrastructure, and tested its ability to deal with humanitarian disasters.
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How big is Japan compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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