Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Montenegro, you would:
Health
live 5.7 years longer
In Montenegro, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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 51.1% less likely to be obese
In Montenegro, 17.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 74.7% more spent on your healthcare
Montenegro spends $2,908 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 23.6% more access to essential health services
Montenegro scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Montenegro has a suicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 80.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Montenegro, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 2.4 times more money
Montenegro has a GDP per capita of $14,817 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 33.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Montenegro, approximately 6.0 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 21.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Montenegro, approximately 1.9 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 58.0% fewer children
In Montenegro, there are approximately 11.2 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 10.1% more likely to have internet access
In Montenegro, approximately 88.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.1% less on healthcare
Montenegro spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 8.2 times more coastline
Montenegro has a total of 294 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 39.2% less likely to be murdered
Montenegro has a homicide rate of 0.8 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 Montenegro, 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 47.9% more home broadband
Montenegro has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 2.5 times more electricity
Montenegro uses 4,564 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 68.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Montenegro, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Montenegro vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Montenegro? See an in-depth size comparison.