Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Kuwait, you would:
Health
be 70.4% less likely to be obese
In Kuwait, 40.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 11.9% of people as of 2024.
have 59.6% more doctors per person
Kuwait has 22.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. North Korea has 36.3 as of 2017.
live 10.8 years less
In Kuwait, the average life expectancy is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
have 12.8% less access to essential health services
Kuwait scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. North Korea scores 68 as of 2021.
be 4.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Kuwait has a suicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In North Korea, it is 9.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 62.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Kuwait, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In North Korea, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 28.3% more children
In Kuwait, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In North Korea, there are 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Kuwait, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In North Korea, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 90.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Kuwait, approximately 7.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In North Korea, on the other hand, 13.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 42.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Kuwait, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In North Korea, that number is 58% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.0 times more coastline
Kuwait has a total of 499 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
Infrastructure
live with 99.3% less strain on fresh water
Kuwait withdraws 3850% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. North Korea withdraws 28% as of 2022.
use 95.2% less electricity
Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. North Korea uses 789 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 89.4% less CO2
Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 91.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Kuwait, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In North Korea, it causes 86.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Kuwait vs. North Korea
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Kuwait? See an in-depth size comparison.