Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Iran, you would:
Health
live 5.8 years longer
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 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 65.9% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 4.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 44.1% more doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 20.3% more access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 6.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 67.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 9.2 times more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 75.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 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 77.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 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 62.6% fewer children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 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 14.7% more likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 91.8% more on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 43.9% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 66.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.0 times more home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 3.0 times more electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 62.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 25.5% more CO2
Iran emits 9.1 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: Iran vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.