Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Gabon, you would:
Health
live 15.1 years longer
In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 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 63.1% less likely to be obese
In Gabon, 22.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 7.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Gabon spends $673 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 5.0 times more doctors per person
Gabon has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 81.6% more access to essential health services
Gabon scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 3.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Gabon has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 86.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Gabon, 20.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 56.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Gabon, 33.4% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 4.4 times more money
Gabon has a GDP per capita of $8,263 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gabon, approximately 233.0 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 10.3% more likely to be literate
In Gabon, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 91.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Gabon, approximately 25.9 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 82.7% fewer children
In Gabon, there are approximately 27.1 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 42.5% more likely to have internet access
In Gabon, approximately 68.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 12.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Gabon, approximately 89% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.3 times more on education
Gabon spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.8 times more on healthcare
Gabon spends 3.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.7 times more coastline
Gabon has a total of 885 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 44.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gabon, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.2 times more home broadband
Gabon has 4.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 11.1 times more electricity
Gabon uses 1,023 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 170.4 times more strain on fresh water
Gabon withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 64.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gabon, air pollution causes 53.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.5 times more CO2
Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2016–2019), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Gabon vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Gabon? See an in-depth size comparison.