Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Bahrain, you would:
Health
be 65.8% less likely to be obese
In Bahrain, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 11.9% of people as of 2024.
have 4.9 times more doctors per person
Bahrain has 7.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. North Korea has 36.3 as of 2017.
live 7.7 years less
In Bahrain, the average life expectancy is 81 years (81 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
have 10.5% less access to essential health services
Bahrain scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. North Korea scores 68 as of 2021.
be 99.8% more likely to die by suicide
Bahrain has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In North Korea, it is 9.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Bahrain, 1.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In North Korea, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 3.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Bahrain, approximately 17.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In North Korea, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 82.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Bahrain, approximately 7.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In North Korea, on the other hand, 13.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 42.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Bahrain, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In North Korea, that number is 58% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 15.5 times more coastline
Bahrain has a total of 161 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
Infrastructure
live with 79.3% less strain on fresh water
Bahrain withdraws 134% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. North Korea withdraws 28% as of 2022.
use 96.6% less electricity
Bahrain uses 23,120 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. North Korea uses 789 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 89.5% less CO2
Bahrain emits 23.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 26.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Bahrain, air pollution causes 68.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In North Korea, it causes 86.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Bahrain vs. North Korea
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Bahrain? See an in-depth size comparison.