Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 23.0 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 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 37.0% less likely to be obese
In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 48.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 13.9 times more doctors per person
Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 2.2 times more access to essential health services
Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 6.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 30.4 times more money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mali, approximately 367.0 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 95.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Mali, approximately 47.5 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 88.1% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 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 83.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% 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 2.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 15.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Mali, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.4% more on education
Mali spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Mali spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 65.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mali, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 62.1 times more home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 10.7 times more strain on fresh water
Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 70.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 37.9 times more CO2
Mali emits 0.3 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: Mali vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.