Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Kenya, you would:
Health
live 19.8 years longer
In Kenya, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 25.8% less likely to be obese
In Kenya, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 18.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Kenya spends $274 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 9.0 times more doctors per person
Kenya has 2.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 67.9% more access to essential health services
Kenya scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 6.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Kenya has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 50.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Kenya, 5.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 15.3 times more money
Kenya has a GDP per capita of $2,363 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 97.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Kenya, approximately 149.0 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 18.6% more likely to be literate
In Kenya, the literacy rate is 82.6% as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 93.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Kenya, approximately 34.2 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 82.6% fewer children
In Kenya, there are approximately 27.0 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 31.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Kenya, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Kenya, approximately 35.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 52.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Kenya, approximately 66% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 34.6% more on education
Kenya spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 99.5% more on healthcare
Kenya spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 4.5 times more coastline
Kenya has a total of 536 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 90.1% less likely to be murdered
Kenya has a homicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 75.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Kenya, road accidents kill 28.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 15.7 times more home broadband
Kenya has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 58.1 times more electricity
Kenya uses 195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.6 times more strain on fresh water
Kenya withdraws 33% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 42.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Kenya, air pollution causes 33.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 29.9 times more CO2
Kenya emits 0.4 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), The World Factbook (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Kenya vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Kenya? See an in-depth size comparison.