Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Japan, you would:
Health
be 41.9% more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
be 57.9% more likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Japan, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
Life
be 33.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, approximately 3.0 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 27.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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 17.5% fewer children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 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 14.4% more likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.2% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 62.0% more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 91.9% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to be murdered
Japan has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 23.1% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Japan, 83% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In South Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 23.7% more home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 50.7% more electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 58.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 44.9% more CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2013–2016), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Japan vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.