Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Australia instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

live 9.3 years longer

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Australia, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 27.9% more access to essential health services

North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Australia scores 87 as of 2021.

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be 2.6 times more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Australia, that number is 30.6% of people as of 2024.

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be 40.5% more likely to die by suicide

North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Australia, it is 13.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 15.5% more likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Australia, that number is 4.1% as of 2025.

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Life

be 97.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In North Korea, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Australia, 2.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 76.7% less likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 13.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Australia, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.

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have 16.8% fewer children

In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Australia, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 73.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 58% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Australia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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Geography

see 10.3 times more coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Australia, that number is 25,760 km.

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Infrastructure

live with 83.2% less strain on fresh water

North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Australia withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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use 12.4 times more electricity

North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Australia uses 9,801 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 88.4% less likely to die from air pollution

In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Australia, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.

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emit 5.6 times more CO2

North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Australia emits 14.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: North Korea vs. Australia

Cost of Living Comparison · 4 categories - 2026 data
Australia is 4.3 times more expensive than North Korea overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
North Korea is about 64 times smaller than Australia.
→
Moving from North Korea to Australia · OECD 2019
2 people moved from North Korea to Australia.
→

Australia: At a glance

Australia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 7,682,300 sq km. Prehistoric settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia at least 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession of the east coast in the name of Great Britain (all of Australia was claimed as British territory in 1829 with the creation of the colony of Western Australia). Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the Allied effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has become an internationally competitive, advanced market economy due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s and its location in one of the fastest growing regions of the world economy. Long-term concerns include aging of the population, pressure on infrastructure, and environmental issues such as floods, droughts, and bushfires. Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth, making it particularly vulnerable to the challenges of climate change. Australia is home to 10 per cent of the world's biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world. In January 2013, Australia assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-14 term.
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How big is Australia compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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