Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Colombia, you would:
Health
live 5.7 years longer
In Colombia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 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 66.4% less likely to be obese
In Colombia, 24.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Colombia spends $1,758 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 11.2% more access to essential health services
Colombia scores 80 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 5.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Colombia has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 67.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Colombia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 4.2 times more money
Colombia has a GDP per capita of $8,562 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 93.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Colombia, approximately 59.0 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 78.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Colombia, approximately 10.5 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 64.5% fewer children
In Colombia, there are approximately 13.2 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 23.4% more likely to have internet access
In Colombia, approximately 79.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Geography
see 24.8% less coastline
Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 98.1% less likely to be murdered
Colombia has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 26.2% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Colombia, 51% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
be 57.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Colombia, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.8 times more home broadband
Colombia has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 7.3 times more electricity
Colombia uses 1,551 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 23.5 times more strain on fresh water
Colombia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 20.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Colombia, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.3 times more CO2
Colombia emits 1.8 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Colombia vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.