Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
live 3.8 years less
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022. In North Korea, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
be 3.2 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In North Korea, that number is 6.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 79.3% less money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $8,200 as of 2020, while in North Korea, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2015.
be 8.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 3.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2018. In North Korea, that number is 25.6% as of 2013.
Life
be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Vietnam, approximately 43.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In North Korea, 89.0 women do as of 2017.
be 50.6% more likely to die during infancy
In Vietnam, approximately 14.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In North Korea, on the other hand, 22.2 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 74.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Vietnam, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2019. In North Korea, that number is 26% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2019.
Geography
see 27.6% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.