Japan vs Republic of Korea: Healthy life expectancy
Japan
73.4 Years
in 2021
Republic of Korea
72.45 Years
in 2021
Japan rank
2nd
Republic of Korea rank
3rd
Healthy life expectancy over time
- Japan
- Republic of Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 73.4 Years against 72.45 Years in Republic of Korea, a difference of 0.95 Years.
Across all 22 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 2nd and Republic of Korea ranks 3rd of 185 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | Republic of Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 71.73 Years | 68.32 Years | 3.41 Years | Japan |
| 2010s | 72.94 Years | 71.31 Years | 1.63 Years | Japan |
| 2020s | 73.52 Years | 72.47 Years | 1.04 Years | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher healthy life expectancy, Japan or Republic of Korea?
- Japan, at 73.4 Years against 72.45 Years in Republic of Korea as of 2021.
- What is the difference in healthy life expectancy between Japan and Republic of Korea?
- 0.95 Years, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Republic of Korea?
- 22 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2021.
- How do Japan and Republic of Korea rank globally for healthy life expectancy?
- Japan ranks 2nd and Republic of Korea ranks 3rd of 185 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Healthy life expectancy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The estimated average number of years lived free from disability or disease burden. This is based on period life expectancy, after adjusting for the number of years lived in less than "full health" due to disease and/or injury.