Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Chile, you would:
Health
live 2.3 years longer
In Chile, the average life expectancy is 81 years (79 years for men, 83 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 79.3% less likely to be obese
In Chile, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 40.7% more spent on your healthcare
Chile spends $3,612 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 21.7% fewer doctors per person
Chile has 33.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 3.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Chile has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Chile, 9.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 2.0 times more money
Chile has a GDP per capita of $17,995 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 60.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Chile, approximately 10.0 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 60.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Chile, approximately 5.8 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 46.1% fewer children
In Chile, there are approximately 8.7 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 17.6% less on healthcare
Chile spends 10.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 10.2% more on education
Chile spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 62.5% less coastline
Chile has a total of 6,435 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 92.4% less likely to be murdered
Chile has a homicide rate of 6.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 98.5% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Chile, 32% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In South Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
be 33.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Chile, road accidents kill 10.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.0 times more home broadband
Chile has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 2.6 times more electricity
Chile uses 4,373 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 9.5 times more strain on fresh water
Chile withdraws 9% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 2.9 times more CO2
Chile emits 3.9 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 (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Chile vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Chile? See an in-depth size comparison.