Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of China, you would:
Health
live 6.9 years longer
In China, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.
be 24.2% less likely to be obese
In China, 6.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Korea, that number is 4.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 2.6 times more money
China has a GDP per capita of $16,400 as of 2020, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $42,300 as of 2020.
pay a 15.6% lower top tax rate
China has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2016. In South Korea, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.
be 24.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In China, 0.6% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
Life
be 62.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In China, approximately 29.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Korea, 11.0 women do as of 2017.
be 57.5% less likely to die during infancy
In China, approximately 6.8 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 30.3% fewer children
In China, there are approximately 9.9 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 38.6% more likely to have internet access
In China, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In South Korea, about 97.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 28.6% more on education
China spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. South Korea spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2018.
spend 51.9% more on healthcare
China spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Korea, that number is 8.2% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 83.4% less coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Tax Service, South Korea, State Administration of Taxation.
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.