Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Poland, you would:
Health
live 5.2 years longer
In Poland, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 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 61.6% less likely to be obese
In Poland, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 29.0% more spent on your healthcare
Poland spends $3,939 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 35.3% fewer doctors per person
Poland has 40.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 2.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Poland has a suicide rate of 13.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Poland, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 27.5% more money
Poland has a GDP per capita of $28,420 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 36.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Poland, approximately 3.6 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.
be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Poland, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
have 31.9% fewer children
In Poland, there are approximately 6.9 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 10.5% more likely to have internet access
In Poland, approximately 88.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 11.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Poland, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.5% more on education
Poland spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 5.5 times more coastline
Poland has a total of 440 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 40.0% less likely to be murdered
Poland has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 5.8 times more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Poland, 11% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 88.5% more home broadband
Poland has 25.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 2.6 times more electricity
Poland uses 4,370 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.6 times more strain on fresh water
Poland withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 53.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Poland, air pollution causes 41.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 50.5% more CO2
Poland emits 7.5 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Poland vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Poland? See an in-depth size comparison.