Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of France, you would:
Health
be 25.2% less likely to be obese
In France, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 26.0% less spent on your healthcare
France spends $6,868 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 20.5% fewer doctors per person
France has 32.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 66.0% more likely to die by suicide
France has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 64.5% less likely to be unemployed
In France, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 26.0% less money
France has a GDP per capita of $48,986 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 42.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In France, approximately 7.0 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 32.4% less likely to die during infancy
In France, approximately 3.4 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 51.5% fewer children
In France, there are approximately 9.7 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 10.4% more likely to have internet access
In France, approximately 88.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.8% less on healthcare
France spends 11.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 50.3% less coastline
France has a total of 4,853 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 64.2% less likely to be murdered
France has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 21.8% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In France, 82% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
be 46.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In France, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 76.0% more electricity
France uses 6,447 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 4.0 times more strain on fresh water
France withdraws 21% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 90.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In France, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.8 times more CO2
France emits 4.0 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: France vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to France? See an in-depth size comparison.