Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Mongolia, you would:
Health
live 11.2 years longer
In Mongolia, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 77 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 66.7% less likely to be obese
In Mongolia, 25.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 4.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Mongolia spends $1,109 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 36.9% more access to essential health services
Mongolia scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
have 36.8% fewer doctors per person
Mongolia has 41.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 48.8% more likely to die by suicide
Mongolia has a suicide rate of 18.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 48.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Mongolia, 5.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 5.1 times more money
Mongolia has a GDP per capita of $7,108 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 90.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mongolia, approximately 41.0 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 79.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Mongolia, approximately 11.2 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 72.2% fewer children
In Mongolia, there are approximately 16.9 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 15.0% more likely to have internet access
In Mongolia, approximately 85.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 16.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Mongolia, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 43.0% more on healthcare
Mongolia spends 6.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 91.9% less likely to be murdered
Mongolia has a homicide rate of 5.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 44.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mongolia, road accidents kill 12.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.0 times more home broadband
Mongolia has 15.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 4.2 times more electricity
Mongolia uses 2,728 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 25.1 times more strain on fresh water
Mongolia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 84.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mongolia, air pollution causes 120.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 44.7% more CO2
Mongolia emits 7.8 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: Mongolia vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Mongolia? See an in-depth size comparison.