Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Bhutan, you would:
Health
live 10.4 years longer
In Bhutan, the average life expectancy is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 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 36.0% less likely to be obese
In Bhutan, 13.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 7.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Bhutan spends $677 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 4.7 times more doctors per person
Bhutan has 5.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 48.3% more access to essential health services
Bhutan scores 60 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 5.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Bhutan has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 17.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Bhutan, 3.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 8.1 times more money
Bhutan has a GDP per capita of $4,493 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 91.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Bhutan, approximately 47.0 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 51.0% more likely to be literate
In Bhutan, the literacy rate is 64.9% as of 2022. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 83.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Bhutan, approximately 13.7 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 62.5% fewer children
In Bhutan, there are approximately 12.5 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 96.4% more on healthcare
Bhutan spends 4.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 80.6% less likely to be murdered
Bhutan has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 43.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Bhutan, road accidents kill 12.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 16.4 times more home broadband
Bhutan has 2.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 60.4 times more strain on fresh water
Bhutan withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 66.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Bhutan, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.7 times more CO2
Bhutan emits 2.0 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 (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Bhutan vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Bhutan? See an in-depth size comparison.