Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Peru, you would:
Health
live 5.7 years longer
In Peru, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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 71.3% less likely to be obese
In Peru, 29.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 5.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Peru spends $956 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 54.6% more doctors per person
Peru has 16.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 25.4% more access to essential health services
Peru scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 17.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Peru has a suicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 47.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Peru, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 3.7 times more money
Peru has a GDP per capita of $9,684 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 92.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Peru, approximately 51.0 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 79.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Peru, approximately 11.0 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 70.2% fewer children
In Peru, there are approximately 15.8 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 19.4% more likely to have internet access
In Peru, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.1% more on education
Peru spends 4.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 53.9% more on healthcare
Peru spends 5.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 94.4% less likely to be murdered
Peru has a homicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 65.2% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Peru, 39% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
be 45.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Peru, road accidents kill 12.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.1 times more home broadband
Peru has 11.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 7.1 times more electricity
Peru uses 1,595 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 17.6 times more strain on fresh water
Peru withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 26.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Peru, air pollution causes 26.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.6 times more CO2
Peru emits 2.0 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Peru vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Peru? See an in-depth size comparison.