Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Fiji, you would:
Health
live 16.2 years longer
In Fiji, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 70 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 78.6% less likely to be obese
In Fiji, 39.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 9.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Fiji spends $548 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 53.4% more access to essential health services
Fiji scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 3.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Fiji has a suicide rate of 8.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 49.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Fiji, 5.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 40.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Fiji, 24.1% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 5.5 times more money
Fiji has a GDP per capita of $6,642 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 86.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Fiji, approximately 30.0 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 90.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Fiji, approximately 23.5 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 73.7% fewer children
In Fiji, there are approximately 17.9 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 31.0% more likely to have internet access
In Fiji, approximately 74.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.3% more on education
Fiji spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Fiji spends 3.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.1 times more coastline
Fiji has a total of 1,129 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 76.7% less likely to be murdered
Fiji has a homicide rate of 2.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 30.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Fiji, road accidents kill 5.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 26.6 times more home broadband
Fiji has 1.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 284.1 times more strain on fresh water
Fiji withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 48.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Fiji, air pollution causes 37.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.0 times more CO2
Fiji emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2016), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Fiji vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Fiji? See an in-depth size comparison.