Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Guinea, you would:
Health
live 22.7 years longer
In Guinea, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 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 21.1% less likely to be obese
In Guinea, 10.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 30.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Guinea spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 12.4 times more doctors per person
Guinea has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 2.2 times more access to essential health services
Guinea scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 5.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Guinea has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 48.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Guinea, 5.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 67.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Guinea, 43.7% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 19.3 times more money
Guinea has a GDP per capita of $1,877 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 99.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guinea, approximately 494.0 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 2.2 times more likely to be literate
In Guinea, the literacy rate is 45.3% as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 96.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Guinea, approximately 59.8 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 85.9% fewer children
In Guinea, there are approximately 33.3 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 95.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Guinea, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 26% 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 2.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Guinea, approximately 33.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 34.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Guinea, approximately 74% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.1 times more on education
Guinea spends 1.7% 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
Guinea spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 7.5 times more coastline
Guinea has a total of 320 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 81.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Guinea, road accidents kill 37.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4780.0 times more home broadband
Guinea has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 62.2 times more strain on fresh water
Guinea withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 79.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Guinea, air pollution causes 94.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 32.5 times more CO2
Guinea emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2016–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guinea vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.