Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guyana instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
have 11.8% more access to essential health services
North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guyana scores 76 as of 2021.
live 3.4 years less
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 30.1% of people as of 2024.
have 61.8% fewer doctors per person
North Korea has 36.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2017. Guyana has 13.9 as of 2020.
be 2.7 times more likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guyana, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guyana, that number is 12.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 54.6% more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guyana, there are 19.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 74.4% 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 Guyana, on the other hand, 23.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 72.0% 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 Guyana, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 81.6% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Guyana, that number is 459 km.
Infrastructure
live with 88.1% less strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guyana withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 39.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guyana, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
emit 82.4% more CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guyana emits 4.6 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. Guyana
Guyana: At a glance
How big is Guyana compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.