Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.9 years longer

In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Japan, that number is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 11.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Japan, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2013.

pay a 47.2% higher top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Japan, the top tax rate is 56.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 50.0% less likely to die during childbirth

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

be 33.8% less likely to die during infancy

In South Korea, approximately 2.9 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.

Basic Needs

be 15.3% less likely to have internet access

In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Japan, about 83.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 27.7% less on education

South Korea spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Japan spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 29.8% more on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Japan, that number is 10.9% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 12.3 times more coastline

South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.

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

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 South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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