Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
live 19.7 years longer
In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 47.8% less likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 20.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Cameroon spends $246 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 19.2 times more doctors per person
Cameroon has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 2.0 times more access to essential health services
Cameroon scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 3.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Cameroon has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 25.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Cameroon, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 18.4 times more money
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cameroon, approximately 258.0 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 35.1% more likely to be literate
In Cameroon, the literacy rate is 72.5% as of 2018. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 94.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Cameroon, approximately 40.2 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 85.9% fewer children
In Cameroon, there are approximately 33.3 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 38.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 40.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Cameroon, approximately 71% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 90.5% more on education
Cameroon spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 90.8% more on healthcare
Cameroon spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 6.0 times more coastline
Cameroon has a total of 402 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 92.9% less likely to be murdered
Cameroon has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 34.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 22.4 times more home broadband
Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 50.2 times more electricity
Cameroon uses 226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 54.6 times more strain on fresh water
Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 81.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 32.5 times more CO2
Cameroon emits 0.3 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 (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2019), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cameroon vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.