Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Cambodia, you would:
Health
live 12.8 years longer
In Cambodia, the average life expectancy is 71 years (68 years for men, 73 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.
see 14.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Cambodia spends $350 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 12.4 times more doctors per person
Cambodia has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 53.4% more access to essential health services
Cambodia scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 70.1% more likely to be obese
In Cambodia, 4.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
be 6.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Cambodia has a suicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Cambodia, 16.5% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 12.6 times more money
Cambodia has a GDP per capita of $2,872 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
be 10.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cambodia, 0.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
Life
be 97.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cambodia, approximately 137.0 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 36.2% more likely to be literate
In Cambodia, the literacy rate is 71.9% as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 86.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Cambodia, approximately 16.4 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 76.9% fewer children
In Cambodia, there are approximately 20.3 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 43.0% more likely to have internet access
In Cambodia, approximately 68.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 20.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Cambodia, approximately 83% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.5 times more on education
Cambodia spends 2.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 87.9% more on healthcare
Cambodia spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 5.4 times more coastline
Cambodia has a total of 443 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 63.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Cambodia, road accidents kill 18.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 11.5 times more home broadband
Cambodia has 4.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 12.2 times more electricity
Cambodia uses 932 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 81.9 times more strain on fresh water
Cambodia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 68.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cambodia, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.3 times more CO2
Cambodia emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2016–2019), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cambodia vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Cambodia? See an in-depth size comparison.