Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Burma, you would:
Health
live 1.8 years longer
In Burma, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2022. In North Korea, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
be 17.2% more likely to be obese
In Burma, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In North Korea, that number is 6.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 62.2% less money
Burma has a GDP per capita of $4,500 as of 2020, while in North Korea, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2015.
be 6.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burma, 4.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In North Korea, that number is 25.6% as of 2013.
Life
be 64.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Burma, approximately 250.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In North Korea, 89.0 women do as of 2017.
be 12.2% more likely to be literate
In Burma, the literacy rate is 89.1% as of 2019. In North Korea, it is 100.0% as of 2015.
be 32.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Burma, approximately 32.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In North Korea, on the other hand, 22.2 children do as of 2022.
have 13.0% fewer children
In Burma, there are approximately 16.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In North Korea, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 10.8% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Burma, approximately 85% of people have improved drinking water access (95% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2020. In North Korea, that number is 94% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2020.
be 49.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Burma, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 39% in rural areas) as of 2019. In North Korea, that number is 26% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2019.
Geography
see 29.3% more coastline
Burma has a total of 1,930 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.