Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Marshall Islands, you would:
Health
live 16.5 years longer
In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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 80.1% less likely to be obese
In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 5.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 50.8% more access to essential health services
Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
Economy
make 4.3 times more money
Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
be 100.0% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Marshall Islands, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
Life
be 97.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 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 89.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 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 76.6% fewer children
In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 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 48.5% more likely to have internet access
In Marshall Islands, approximately 65.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 14.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Marshall Islands, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.7% less on education
Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 35.3% less on healthcare
Marshall Islands spends 13.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 6.5 times more coastline
Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 42.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 20.3 times more home broadband
Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2016), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Marshall Islands vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.