Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Lebanon, you would:
Health
live 5.7 years longer
In Lebanon, 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 72.8% less likely to be obese
In Lebanon, 30.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 7.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Lebanon spends $644 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 21.9% more access to essential health services
Lebanon scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 39.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Lebanon has a suicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 75.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Lebanon, 11.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 8.1 times more money
Lebanon has a GDP per capita of $4,473 as of 2024, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 73.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Lebanon, approximately 15.0 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 85.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Lebanon, approximately 15.3 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 70.6% fewer children
In Lebanon, there are approximately 16.0 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 21.4% more likely to have internet access
In Lebanon, approximately 80.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.4 times more on education
Lebanon spends 1.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 55.8% more on healthcare
Lebanon spends 5.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 10.7 times more coastline
Lebanon has a total of 225 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 78.6% less likely to be murdered
Lebanon has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 28.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Lebanon, road accidents kill 9.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 6.6 times more home broadband
Lebanon has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 11.6 times more electricity
Lebanon uses 975 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 45.0% more strain on fresh water
Lebanon withdraws 59% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 67.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lebanon, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.0 times more CO2
Lebanon emits 1.9 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: Lebanon vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Lebanon? See an in-depth size comparison.