Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Solomon Islands instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 3.0 years less
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, that number is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
be 82.7% more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, that number is 21.8% of people as of 2024.
have 30.9% less access to essential health services
North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Solomon Islands scores 47 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Solomon Islands, it is 19.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 59.6% less likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Solomon Islands, that number is 1.4% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, there are 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 83.6% 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 Solomon Islands, 123.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.3% 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 Solomon Islands, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 41.4% 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 Solomon Islands, that number is 81% of people on average (81% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 23.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In North Korea, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Solomon Islands, that number is 72% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 65% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.1 times more coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Solomon Islands, that number is 5,313 km.
Environment
be 33.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Solomon Islands, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 84.8% less CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Solomon Islands emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: At a glance
How big is Solomon Islands compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.