Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Kuwait, you would:
Health
be 79.3% less likely to be obese
In Kuwait, 40.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 98.0% more spent on your healthcare
Kuwait spends $2,567 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 14.8% more doctors per person
Kuwait has 22.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 14.1% more access to essential health services
Kuwait scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
live 1.0 years less
In Kuwait, the average life expectancy is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 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 11.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Kuwait has a suicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 12.1% more money
Kuwait has a GDP per capita of $32,312 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
be 22.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Kuwait, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
Life
be 50.0% less 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 67.1% less 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 53.1% fewer children
In Kuwait, there are approximately 10.0 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 16.0% less on education
Kuwait spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 75.0% more on healthcare
Kuwait spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 4.8 times more coastline
Kuwait has a total of 499 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 25.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Kuwait, road accidents kill 9.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 92.0% more likely to be murdered
Kuwait has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 47.3 times more home broadband
Kuwait has 1.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 97.8% less strain on fresh water
Kuwait withdraws 3850% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
use 31.2% less electricity
Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 57.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Kuwait, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 52.0% less CO2
Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Kuwait vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Kuwait? See an in-depth size comparison.