Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Belarus, you would:
Health
live 9.3 years longer
In Belarus, the average life expectancy is 74 years (70 years for men, 79 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 59.4% less likely to be obese
In Belarus, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Belarus spends $2,194 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 12.7% more access to essential health services
Belarus scores 79 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
have 44.7% fewer doctors per person
Belarus has 47.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 76.4% more likely to die by suicide
Belarus has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 20.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Belarus, 3.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 3.5 times more money
Belarus has a GDP per capita of $10,279 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Belarus, approximately 1.0 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 27.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Belarus, approximately 1.8 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 33.1% fewer children
In Belarus, there are approximately 7.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.6% more on healthcare
Belarus spends 7.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Infrastructure
find 31.8% more home broadband
Belarus has 36.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 2.7 times more electricity
Belarus uses 4,198 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 18.3 times more strain on fresh water
Belarus withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 72.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Belarus, air pollution causes 68.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 91.2% more CO2
Belarus emits 5.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Belarus vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Belarus? See an in-depth size comparison.