Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Egypt, you would:
Health
live 11.8 years longer
In Egypt, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 80.9% less likely to be obese
In Egypt, 43.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 5.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Egypt spends $905 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 3.9 times more doctors per person
Egypt has 6.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 27.1% more access to essential health services
Egypt scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 43.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Egypt has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 60.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Egypt, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 11.7 times more money
Egypt has a GDP per capita of $3,086 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 76.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Egypt, approximately 17.0 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 23.3% more likely to be literate
In Egypt, the literacy rate is 79.5% as of 2022. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 88.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Egypt, approximately 20.8 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 77.5% fewer children
In Egypt, there are approximately 20.9 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 31.1% more likely to have internet access
In Egypt, approximately 74.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.2 times more on education
Egypt spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 77.9% more on healthcare
Egypt spends 4.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 26.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Egypt, road accidents kill 9.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.1 times more home broadband
Egypt has 11.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 39.6% less strain on fresh water
Egypt withdraws 141% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
use 7.6 times more electricity
Egypt uses 1,493 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 81.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Egypt, air pollution causes 105.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.5 times more CO2
Egypt emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2019–2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Egypt vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Egypt? See an in-depth size comparison.