Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Denmark, you would:
Health
live 1.4 years longer
In Denmark, 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 41.6% less likely to be obese
In Denmark, 14.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 30.0% less spent on your healthcare
Denmark spends $7,262 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 42.0% fewer doctors per person
Denmark has 45.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Denmark has a suicide rate of 10.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 51.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Denmark, 5.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 52.9% less money
Denmark has a GDP per capita of $76,970 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 34.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Denmark, approximately 3.5 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 50.5% fewer children
In Denmark, there are approximately 9.5 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 14.9% less on education
Denmark spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 67.0% less coastline
Denmark has a total of 7,314 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 42.9% less likely to be murdered
Denmark 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 3.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Denmark, road accidents kill 2.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.2% more home broadband
Denmark has 43.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 84.1% more electricity
Denmark uses 6,165 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 3.4 times more strain on fresh water
Denmark withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 46.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Denmark, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.7 times more CO2
Denmark emits 4.3 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: Denmark vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Denmark? See an in-depth size comparison.