Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Rwanda, you would:
Health
live 15.6 years longer
In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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.
see 28.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Rwanda spends $177 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 29.0 times more doctors per person
Rwanda has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 81.6% more access to essential health services
Rwanda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 50.0% more likely to be obese
In Rwanda, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Rwanda has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 76.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Rwanda, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 32.2 times more money
Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Rwanda, approximately 229.0 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 24.4% more likely to be literate
In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 78.8% as of 2022. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 92.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Rwanda, approximately 29.4 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 83.3% fewer children
In Rwanda, there are approximately 28.1 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 56.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Rwanda, approximately 64% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Rwanda, approximately 31.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 62.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Rwanda, approximately 61% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.4% more on education
Rwanda spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 69.2% more on healthcare
Rwanda spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 86.7% less likely to be murdered
Rwanda has a homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 40.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Rwanda, road accidents kill 11.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 79.7 times more home broadband
Rwanda has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 148.0 times more electricity
Rwanda uses 77 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 4.2 times more strain on fresh water
Rwanda withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 69.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Rwanda, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 71.0 times more CO2
Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Rwanda vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.