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

Health

live 3.7 years longer

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Guam, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 57.3% more likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guam, that number is 5.6% as of 2025.

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Life

be 13.8% 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 Guam, on the other hand, 11.5 children do as of 2022.

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have 34.8% more children

In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guam, there are 17.3 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 Guam, 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 95.0% less coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Guam, that number is 126 km.

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Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Guam: At a glance

Guam is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 544 sq km. Spain ceded Guam to the US in 1898. Captured by the Japanese in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The military installations on the island are some of the most strategically important US bases in the Pacific.
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How big is Guam compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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