Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Jordan, you would:
Health
live 5.6 years longer
In Jordan, 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 76.3% less likely to be obese
In Jordan, 35.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 6.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Jordan spends $798 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 36.9% more access to essential health services
Jordan scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 45.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Jordan has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 83.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Jordan, 16.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 6.8 times more money
Jordan has a GDP per capita of $5,348 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 87.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Jordan, approximately 31.0 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 80.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Jordan, approximately 12.0 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 77.0% fewer children
In Jordan, there are approximately 20.4 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 67.5% more on education
Jordan spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 13.3% more on healthcare
Jordan spends 7.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 92.8 times more coastline
Jordan has a total of 26 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 51.5% less likely to be murdered
Jordan has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 49.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Jordan, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 6.8 times more home broadband
Jordan has 7.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 19.0% less strain on fresh water
Jordan withdraws 105% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
use 6.1 times more electricity
Jordan uses 1,858 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 50.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Jordan, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.4 times more CO2
Jordan emits 2.1 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Jordan vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Jordan? See an in-depth size comparison.