Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Albania, you would:
Health
live 3.8 years longer
In Albania, the average life expectancy is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 65.3% less likely to be obese
In Albania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 3.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Albania spends $1,465 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 38.9% more doctors per person
Albania has 18.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 39.1% more access to essential health services
Albania scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 10.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Albania has a suicide rate of 2.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 75.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Albania, 10.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 2.8 times more money
Albania has a GDP per capita of $12,998 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 42.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Albania, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 72.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Albania, approximately 8.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 53.6% fewer children
In Albania, there are approximately 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 14.0% more likely to have internet access
In Albania, approximately 85.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 75.1% more on education
Albania spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 23.1% more on healthcare
Albania spends 7.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 6.7 times more coastline
Albania has a total of 362 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 65.5% less likely to be murdered
Albania has a homicide rate of 1.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 36.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Albania, road accidents kill 10.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 92.1% more home broadband
Albania has 24.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 3.9 times more electricity
Albania uses 2,892 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 17.8 times more strain on fresh water
Albania withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 67.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Albania, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.3 times more CO2
Albania emits 1.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Albania vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Albania? See an in-depth size comparison.