Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Tuvalu instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 6.5 years less
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 5.4 times more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 65.1% of people as of 2024.
have 62.9% fewer doctors per person
North Korea has 36.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2017. Tuvalu has 13.5 as of 2020.
have 23.5% less access to essential health services
North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tuvalu scores 52 as of 2021.
Life
have 70.8% more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tuvalu, there are 22.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.5 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 Tuvalu, 170.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.1% 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 Tuvalu, on the other hand, 16.5 children do 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 Tuvalu, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.0% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Tuvalu, that number is 24 km.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2024), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Tuvalu
Tuvalu: At a glance
How big is Tuvalu compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.