Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
live 10.9 years longer
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 70.1% less likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 5.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 2.0 times more doctors per person
Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 50.8% more access to essential health services
Guatemala scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 5.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 5.5 times more money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guatemala, approximately 94.0 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 86.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Guatemala, approximately 17.2 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 77.2% fewer children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 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 62.6% more likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 75.6% more on education
Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 27.6% more on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 6.0 times more coastline
Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 97.9% less likely to be murdered
Guatemala has a homicide rate of 23.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 45.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Guatemala, road accidents kill 12.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 9.0 times more home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 15.5 times more electricity
Guatemala uses 733 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 14.8 times more strain on fresh water
Guatemala withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 52.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.2 times more CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 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. How we calculate this
Compare further: Guatemala vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.