Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Hungary, you would:
Health
live 6.9 years longer
In Hungary, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 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 73.3% less likely to be obese
In Hungary, 31.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 76.7% more spent on your healthcare
Hungary spends $2,875 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 12.7% more access to essential health services
Hungary scores 79 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
have 24.5% fewer doctors per person
Hungary has 34.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 67.4% more likely to die by suicide
Hungary has a suicide rate of 16.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 40.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Hungary, 4.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 39.8% more money
Hungary has a GDP per capita of $25,907 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 66.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Hungary, approximately 12.0 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 25.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Hungary, approximately 3.1 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 42.7% fewer children
In Hungary, there are approximately 8.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 42.4% more on education
Hungary spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 36.3% more on healthcare
Hungary spends 6.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 33.3% less likely to be murdered
Hungary has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 27.3% more home broadband
Hungary has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 2.4 times more electricity
Hungary uses 4,812 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 10.5 times more strain on fresh water
Hungary withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 54.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Hungary, air pollution causes 42.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.5 times more CO2
Hungary emits 4.5 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Hungary vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Hungary? See an in-depth size comparison.