Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 9.9 years longer
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 30.0% less likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
have 30.9% more access to essential health services
North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 24.3% less likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
Life
be 94.0% 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 82.7% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 63.5% fewer children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 South Korea, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Infrastructure
use 14.4 times more electricity
North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 3.1 times more strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 77.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.5 times more CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.