Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Maldives, you would:
Health
live 2.3 years longer
In Maldives, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 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 53.1% less likely to be obese
In Maldives, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Maldives spends $2,288 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 16.8% more doctors per person
Maldives has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 45.9% more access to essential health services
Maldives scores 61 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 18.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Maldives has a suicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 40.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Maldives, 4.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 2.5 times more money
Maldives has a GDP per capita of $14,615 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
be 2.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Maldives, 5.4% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
Life
be 87.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Maldives, approximately 32.0 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 51.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Maldives, approximately 4.7 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 55.6% fewer children
In Maldives, there are approximately 10.6 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 14.9% more likely to have internet access
In Maldives, approximately 85.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Geography
see 3.7 times more coastline
Maldives has a total of 644 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 5.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Maldives, road accidents kill 1.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.4 times more home broadband
Maldives has 19.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 5.4 times more strain on fresh water
Maldives withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 34.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Maldives, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.2 times more CO2
Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2016), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Maldives vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Maldives? See an in-depth size comparison.