Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 4.3 years longer
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 22.3% less likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
have 19.1% more access to essential health services
North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. China scores 81 as of 2021.
Economy
be 30.5% more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 76.1% 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 China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 69.2% 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 China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 47.4% fewer children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 China, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.8 times more coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Infrastructure
use 8.3 times more electricity
North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
live with 49.7% more strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
Environment
be 25.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.7 times more CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.