Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Cyprus, you would:
Health
live 1.8 years longer
In Cyprus, 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 61.2% less likely to be obese
In Cyprus, 21.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 12.0% more spent on your healthcare
Cyprus spends $4,538 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 26.6% fewer doctors per person
Cyprus has 35.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 9.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Cyprus has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 45.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Cyprus, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 13.3% less money
Cyprus has a GDP per capita of $41,783 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 71.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cyprus, approximately 14.0 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 43.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Cyprus, approximately 4.1 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 55.3% fewer children
In Cyprus, there are approximately 10.5 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 14.1% more on education
Cyprus spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 3.7 times more coastline
Cyprus has a total of 648 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 41.5% less likely to be murdered
Cyprus has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 76.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cyprus, road accidents kill 3.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 27.3% more home broadband
Cyprus has 37.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 3.0 times more electricity
Cyprus uses 3,842 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.8 times more strain on fresh water
Cyprus withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 18.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Cyprus, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Cyprus emits 5.4 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. How we calculate this
Compare further: Cyprus vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Cyprus? See an in-depth size comparison.