Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Canada, you would:
Health
live 1.5 years longer
In Canada, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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 67.8% less likely to be obese
In Canada, 26.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 33.5% less spent on your healthcare
Canada spends $7,646 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Canada has a suicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 61.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Canada, 6.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 35.0% less money
Canada has a GDP per capita of $55,698 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 66.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Canada, approximately 12.0 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 51.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Canada, approximately 4.7 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 47.2% fewer children
In Canada, there are approximately 8.9 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 23.3% less on healthcare
Canada spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 11.8% more on education
Canada spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 98.8% less coastline
Canada has a total of 202,080 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 75.8% less likely to be murdered
Canada has a homicide rate of 2.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 26.8% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Canada, 88% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In South Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
be 46.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Canada, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.4% more home broadband
Canada has 42.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 22.9 times more strain on fresh water
Canada withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
use 19.5% less electricity
Canada uses 14,093 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 18.9% less CO2
Canada emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Canada, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Canada vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.