Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Ecuador, you would:
Health
live 5.5 years longer
In Ecuador, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.
be 76.4% less likely to be obese
In Ecuador, 19.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Korea, that number is 4.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 3.6 times more money
Ecuador has a GDP per capita of $13,900 as of 2024, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $50,400 as of 2023.
be 43.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Ecuador, 4.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2024.
be 44.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Ecuador, 26.0% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
Life
be 92.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ecuador, approximately 55.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2023. In South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 84.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Ecuador, approximately 18.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Korea, on the other hand, 2.9 children do as of 2022.
have 75.4% fewer children
In Ecuador, there are approximately 17.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025. In South Korea, there are 4.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025.
Basic Needs
be 26.0% more likely to have internet access
In Ecuador, approximately 77.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.0% do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 27.0% more on education
Ecuador spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. South Korea spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Ecuador? See an in-depth size comparison.