Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Israel, you would:
Health
be 62.3% less likely to be obese
In Israel, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 26.0% more spent on your healthcare
Israel spends $4,033 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 31.3% fewer doctors per person
Israel has 38.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 6.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Israel has a suicide rate of 4.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 23.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Israel, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 34.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Israel, 22.0% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 40.0% less money
Israel has a GDP per capita of $60,337 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 14.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Israel, approximately 2.7 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.
be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Israel, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
have 74.7% fewer children
In Israel, there are approximately 18.6 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 11.0% more likely to have internet access
In Israel, approximately 88.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.3% more on healthcare
Israel spends 7.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 8.8 times more coastline
Israel has a total of 273 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 70.6% less likely to be murdered
Israel has a homicide rate of 1.6 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 20.2% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Israel, 80% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
be 64.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Israel, road accidents kill 4.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 63.8% more home broadband
Israel has 29.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 35.4% less strain on fresh water
Israel withdraws 132% of its available fresh water each year as of 2021. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
use 57.9% more electricity
Israel uses 7,186 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 26.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Israel, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 96.9% more CO2
Israel emits 5.8 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 (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2014–2016), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Israel vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Israel? See an in-depth size comparison.