Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Central African Republic, you would:
Health
live 26.0 years longer
In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 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 23.4% less likely to be obese
In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 37.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 35.3 times more doctors per person
Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 2.8 times more access to essential health services
Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 57.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 65.1 times more money
Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 99.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 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 2.6 times more likely to be literate
In Central African Republic, the literacy rate is 37.5% as of 2020. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 96.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 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 89.8% fewer children
In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 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 5.7 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% in urban areas, and 2% 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 7.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to have access to drinking water
In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.6% less on healthcare
Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 3.0 times more on education
Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 73.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2390.0 times more home broadband
Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 250.6 times more strain on fresh water
Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 80.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 189.3 times more CO2
Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2019–2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Central African Republic vs. South Korea
MORE COMPARISONS
South Korea: At a glance
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