Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Equatorial Guinea, you would:
Health
live 19.7 years longer
In Equatorial Guinea, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 56.4% less likely to be obese
In Equatorial Guinea, 19.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 8.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Equatorial Guinea spends $609 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 17.1 times more doctors per person
Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 93.5% more access to essential health services
Equatorial Guinea scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 3.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Equatorial Guinea has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 67.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Equatorial Guinea, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 5.5 times more money
Equatorial Guinea has a GDP per capita of $6,615 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 97.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 174.0 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 95.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 47.6 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 84.3% fewer children
In Equatorial Guinea, there are approximately 30.0 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 49.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (89% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 54.7% more likely to have internet access
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 63.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Equatorial Guinea spends 3.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 8.2 times more coastline
Equatorial Guinea has a total of 296 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 41.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Equatorial Guinea, road accidents kill 11.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 478.0 times more home broadband
Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 14.3 times more electricity
Equatorial Guinea uses 792 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 473.4 times more strain on fresh water
Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 67.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Equatorial Guinea, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.5 times more CO2
Equatorial Guinea 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Equatorial Guinea vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Equatorial Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.