Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
Health
live 9.8 years longer
In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 72.8% less likely to be obese
In Dominican Republic, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 4.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Dominican Republic spends $1,169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 15.6% more access to essential health services
Dominican Republic scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 6.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Dominican Republic has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 47.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 3.3 times more money
Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 96.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Dominican Republic, approximately 124.0 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 91.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Dominican Republic, approximately 27.7 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 73.3% fewer children
In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 17.6 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 43.9% more on education
Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 88.7% more on healthcare
Dominican Republic spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 87.3% more coastline
Dominican Republic has a total of 1,288 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 95.6% less likely to be murdered
Dominican Republic has a homicide rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 62.0% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Dominican Republic, 40% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
be 74.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.3 times more home broadband
Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 6.1 times more electricity
Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 29.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.8 times more CO2
Dominican Republic emits 3.0 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: Dominican Republic vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.