Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Liberia, you would:
Health
live 21.3 years longer
In Liberia, the average life expectancy is 62 years (61 years for men, 64 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 52.9% less likely to be obese
In Liberia, 17.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 21.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Liberia spends $233 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 14.7 times more doctors per person
Liberia has 1.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 97.8% more access to essential health services
Liberia scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 4.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Liberia has a suicide rate of 6.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 71.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Liberia, 50.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 39.6 times more money
Liberia has a GDP per capita of $915 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 99.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Liberia, approximately 628.0 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 2.0 times more likely to be literate
In Liberia, the literacy rate is 48.3% as of 2017. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 96.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Liberia, approximately 63.2 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 84.6% fewer children
In Liberia, there are approximately 30.6 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 3.1 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Liberia, approximately 32% of people have electricity access (53% in urban areas, and 9% 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 3.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Liberia, approximately 32.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 26.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Liberia, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.3% less on healthcare
Liberia spends 13.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 2.4 times more on education
Liberia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 4.2 times more coastline
Liberia has a total of 579 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 54.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Liberia, road accidents kill 15.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 177.0 times more home broadband
Liberia has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 327.8 times more strain on fresh water
Liberia withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 68.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Liberia, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 75.7 times more CO2
Liberia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2016–2019), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Liberia vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Liberia? See an in-depth size comparison.