Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
live 1.3 years longer
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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 59.9% less likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 32.2% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 27.0% fewer doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 49.9% more likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 54.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 40.4% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 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 48.9% fewer children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 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 13.9% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 19.6% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 36.3 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 55.6% less likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 50.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 59.9% more electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 61.3% more strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 26.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 55.4% more CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.