Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Moldova, you would:
Health
live 12.3 years longer
In Moldova, the average life expectancy is 71 years (67 years for men, 76 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 62.4% less likely to be obese
In Moldova, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 4.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Moldova spends $1,181 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 25.4% more access to essential health services
Moldova scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
have 35.0% fewer doctors per person
Moldova has 40.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 94.7% more likely to die by suicide
Moldova has a suicide rate of 14.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 4.2 times more money
Moldova has a GDP per capita of $8,622 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
be 78.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Moldova, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
Life
be 78.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Moldova, approximately 19.0 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 84.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Moldova, approximately 15.1 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 Moldova, 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 26.5% more likely to have internet access
In Moldova, approximately 77.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.5% less on education
Moldova spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 28.8% more on healthcare
Moldova spends 6.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 81.1% less likely to be murdered
Moldova has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 24.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Moldova, road accidents kill 9.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 61.3% more home broadband
Moldova has 29.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 4.7 times more electricity
Moldova uses 2,412 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 6.8 times more strain on fresh water
Moldova withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 67.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Moldova, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.3 times more CO2
Moldova emits 3.4 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: Moldova vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Moldova? See an in-depth size comparison.