Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Bhutan, you would:
Health
live 10.7 years longer
In Bhutan, the average life expectancy is 72 years (71 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.
be 26.6% less likely to be obese
In Bhutan, 6.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Korea, that number is 4.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 3.9 times more money
Bhutan has a GDP per capita of $10,900 as of 2020, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $42,300 as of 2020.
be 17.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Bhutan, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In South Korea, that number is 3.8% as of 2019.
be 75.6% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Bhutan, 8.2% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
Life
be 94.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Bhutan, approximately 183.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Korea, 11.0 women do as of 2017.
be 47.1% more likely to be literate
In Bhutan, the literacy rate is 66.6% as of 2017. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 89.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Bhutan, approximately 27.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Korea, on the other hand, 2.9 children do as of 2022.
have 56.6% fewer children
In Bhutan, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Korea, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 79.6% more likely to have internet access
In Bhutan, approximately 54.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In South Korea, about 97.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 34.8% less on education
Bhutan spends 6.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. South Korea spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2018.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Bhutan spends 3.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Korea, that number is 8.2% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Bhutan? See an in-depth size comparison.