Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Libya, you would:
Health
live 12.5 years longer
In Libya, the average life expectancy is 71 years (70 years for men, 73 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 75.1% less likely to be obese
In Libya, 33.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 4.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Libya spends $1,055 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 43.5% more access to essential health services
Libya scores 62 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 5.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Libya has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 85.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Libya, 18.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 5.6 times more money
Libya has a GDP per capita of $6,449 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 93.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Libya, approximately 59.0 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 70.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Libya, approximately 7.9 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 71.5% fewer children
In Libya, there are approximately 16.5 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 36.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Libya, approximately 73% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% 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 19.5% more likely to have internet access
In Libya, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.1% more on healthcare
Libya spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 36.3% more coastline
Libya has a total of 1,770 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 79.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Libya, road accidents kill 34.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.6 times more home broadband
Libya has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 89.6% less strain on fresh water
Libya withdraws 817% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
use 3.0 times more electricity
Libya uses 3,796 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 64.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Libya, air pollution causes 54.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 31.2% more CO2
Libya emits 8.7 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Libya vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Libya? See an in-depth size comparison.