Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
live 1.2 years longer
In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 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 53.7% less likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
have 55.4% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 56.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 12.9% more money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 73.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Portugal, approximately 15.0 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 14.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Portugal, approximately 2.7 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 40.5% fewer children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 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 10.6% more likely to have internet access
In Portugal, approximately 88.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.2% less on healthcare
Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 18.9% more on education
Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 34.6% more coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 33.3% less likely to be murdered
Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
use 2.1 times more electricity
Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 6.9 times more strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 90.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.4 times more CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Portugal vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.