Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Saint Lucia, you would:
Health
live 10.8 years longer
In Saint Lucia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (69 years for men, 76 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 75.9% less likely to be obese
In Saint Lucia, 34.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 4.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Saint Lucia spends $1,228 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 15.6% more access to essential health services
Saint Lucia scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
have 38.4% fewer doctors per person
Saint Lucia has 42.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 5.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Saint Lucia has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 71.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Saint Lucia, 9.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 42.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Saint Lucia, 25.0% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 2.5 times more money
Saint Lucia has a GDP per capita of $14,746 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 90.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Saint Lucia, approximately 44.0 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 85.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Saint Lucia, approximately 15.8 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 58.1% fewer children
In Saint Lucia, there are approximately 11.2 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 43.5% more likely to have internet access
In Saint Lucia, approximately 68.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.5% more on education
Saint Lucia spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 83.5% more on healthcare
Saint Lucia spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 15.3 times more coastline
Saint Lucia has a total of 158 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 98.8% less likely to be murdered
Saint Lucia has a homicide rate of 39.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 22.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Saint Lucia, road accidents kill 8.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 25.0% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Saint Lucia, 86% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2018. In South Korea, that number is 64% as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.5 times more home broadband
Saint Lucia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 6.0 times more strain on fresh water
Saint Lucia withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 6.6 times more CO2
Saint Lucia emits 1.7 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 (2018–2021), The World Factbook (2016), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Saint Lucia vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Saint Lucia? See an in-depth size comparison.