Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ecuador instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 3.8 years longer
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
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. Ecuador scores 77 as of 2021.
be 18.8% less likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ecuador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 28.9% of people as of 2024.
have 36.2% fewer doctors per person
North Korea has 36.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2017. Ecuador has 23.1 as of 2020.
Life
be 17.9% 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 Ecuador, 55.0 women do as of 2023.
be 18.0% 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 Ecuador, on the other hand, 10.9 children do as of 2024.
have 15.2% more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ecuador, there are 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 71.7% 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 Ecuador, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 10.3% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Ecuador, that number is 2,237 km.
Infrastructure
live with 75.6% less strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ecuador withdraws 7% as of 2022.
use 2.1 times more electricity
North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 73.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ecuador, it causes 23.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Ecuador
Ecuador: At a glance
How big is Ecuador compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.