Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Belize, you would:
Health
live 9.9 years longer
In Belize, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 80.7% less likely to be obese
In Belize, 43.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 8.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Belize spends $573 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 30.9% more access to essential health services
Belize scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 6.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Belize has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 69.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Belize, 8.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 72.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Belize, 52.0% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 4.6 times more money
Belize has a GDP per capita of $7,865 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 94.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Belize, approximately 67.0 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 11.5% more likely to be literate
In Belize, the literacy rate is 87.9% as of 2022. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 78.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Belize, approximately 10.8 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 74.0% fewer children
In Belize, there are approximately 18.1 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 22.4% more likely to have internet access
In Belize, approximately 80.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.1% more on education
Belize spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Belize spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 6.3 times more coastline
Belize has a total of 386 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 98.3% less likely to be murdered
Belize has a homicide rate of 28.1 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 60.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Belize, road accidents kill 17.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.9 times more home broadband
Belize has 9.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 67.6 times more strain on fresh water
Belize withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 12.2 times more CO2
Belize emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2016–2019), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Belize vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Belize? See an in-depth size comparison.