Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Macedonia, you would:
Health
live 7.0 years longer
In Macedonia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 79 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 68.8% less likely to be obese
In Macedonia, 26.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Macedonia spends $1,808 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 20.3% more access to essential health services
Macedonia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
have 11.3% fewer doctors per person
Macedonia has 29.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 4.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Macedonia has a suicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 78.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Macedonia, 12.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 3.5 times more money
Macedonia has a GDP per capita of $10,490 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 33.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Macedonia, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
have 46.6% fewer children
In Macedonia, there are approximately 8.8 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 16.8% more on healthcare
Macedonia spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 68.6% less likely to be murdered
Macedonia has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 21.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Macedonia, road accidents kill 5.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 59.9% more home broadband
Macedonia has 29.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 3.4 times more electricity
Macedonia uses 3,320 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 62.2% more strain on fresh water
Macedonia withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 69.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Macedonia, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.8 times more CO2
Macedonia emits 4.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Macedonia vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Macedonia? See an in-depth size comparison.