Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Namibia instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 6.2 years less
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 52.8% more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 18.3% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 5.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Namibia, that number is 19.3% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.0 times more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times 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 Namibia, 139.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.7 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 Namibia, on the other hand, 36.4 children do as of 2024.
Geography
see 37.0% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.
Infrastructure
live with 98.9% less strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Namibia withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 56.2% more electricity
North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Namibia uses 1,232 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 50.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Namibia, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 52.0% less CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Namibia
Namibia: At a glance
How big is Namibia compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.