Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Russia, you would:
Health
live 10.2 years longer
In Russia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 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 52.5% less likely to be obese
In Russia, 17.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 58.6% more spent on your healthcare
Russia spends $3,204 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 12.7% more access to essential health services
Russia scores 79 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
have 48.9% fewer doctors per person
Russia has 51.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 28.8% more likely to die by suicide
Russia has a suicide rate of 21.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.1 times more money
Russia has a GDP per capita of $17,547 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
be 25.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Russia, 2.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
Life
be 55.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Russia, approximately 9.0 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 43.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Russia, approximately 4.1 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 44.0% fewer children
In Russia, there are approximately 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.0% more on education
Russia spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 23.3% more on healthcare
Russia spends 7.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 93.6% less coastline
Russia has a total of 37,653 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 92.9% less likely to be murdered
Russia has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 34.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Russia, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 29.1% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Russia, 90% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 76.2% more home broadband
Russia has 27.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 55.8% more electricity
Russia uses 7,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 20.7 times more strain on fresh water
Russia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 51.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Russia, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 18.7% less CO2
Russia emits 14.0 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Russia vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.