Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Dominican Republic instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

have 13.2% more access to essential health services

North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Dominican Republic scores 77 as of 2021.

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be 54.9% less likely to die by suicide

North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, it is 4.2 per 100,000 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 Dominican Republic, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 43.8% more likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Dominican Republic, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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Life

have 37.0% more children

In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, there are 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 85.1% 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 Dominican Republic, 124.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.1 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 Dominican Republic, on the other hand, 27.7 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 73.2% 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 Dominican Republic, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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Geography

see 48.4% less coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Dominican Republic, that number is 1,288 km.

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Infrastructure

use 2.4 times more electricity

North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 42.6% more strain on fresh water

North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Dominican Republic withdraws 40% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 68.6% less likely to die from air pollution

In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Dominican Republic, it causes 27.0 as of 2019.

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emit 19.6% more CO2

North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Dominican Republic emits 3.0 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. Dominican Republic

Cost of Living Comparison · 4 categories - 2026 data
Dominican Republic is 2.0 times more expensive than North Korea overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
North Korea is about 2.5 times bigger than Dominican Republic.
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Moving from North Korea to Dominican Republic · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Dominican Republic: At a glance

Dominican Republic is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 48,320 sq km. The Taino - indigenous inhabitants of Hispaniola prior to the arrival of the Europeans - divided the island into five chiefdoms and territories. Christopher COLUMBUS explored and claimed the island on his first voyage in 1492; it became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821 but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930 to 1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (first term 1996-2000) won election to a new term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term, and was later reelected to a second consecutive term. In 2012, Danilo MEDINA Sanchez was elected president.
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