Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burma instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
be 32.0% less likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 8.1% of people as of 2024.
be 69.0% less likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burma, it is 2.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.6 years less
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
have 79.1% fewer doctors per person
North Korea has 36.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2017. Burma has 7.6 as of 2019.
have 23.5% less access to essential health services
North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burma scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 13.8% less likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burma, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 28.0% more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burma, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more 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 Burma, 185.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more 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 Burma, on the other hand, 32.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 33.6% 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 Burma, that number is 77% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 22.6% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Burma, that number is 1,930 km.
Infrastructure
live with 79.1% less strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burma withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 53.3% less electricity
North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burma uses 368 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 17.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burma, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.
emit 76.8% less CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burma emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Burma
Burma: At a glance
How big is Burma compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.