Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Peru instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 4.2 years longer
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Peru, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 83.5% less likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Peru, it is 1.5 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 Peru, that number is 29.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 44.6% more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Peru, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 23.9% 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 Peru, 51.0 women do as of 2023.
be 17.3% 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 Peru, on the other hand, 11.0 children do as of 2024.
have 22.5% more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Peru, there are 15.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 67.3% 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 Peru, that number is 96% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 85% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 82.6% less strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Peru withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 2.0 times more electricity
North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Peru uses 1,595 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 69.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Peru, it causes 26.0 as of 2019.
emit 19.2% less CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Peru emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Peru
Peru: At a glance
How big is Peru compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.