Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
live 1.7 years longer
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 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 80.3% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
be 5.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 55.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 10.8% less money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 63.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 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 61.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 17.5% fewer children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 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 12.2% more likely to have internet access
In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 26.7% more on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 4.8 times more coastline
Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 96.7% less likely to be murdered
Puerto Rico has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 44.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 70.8% more home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 4.4 times more strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.