Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, you would:
Health
live 2.4 years longer
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
be 65.5% less likely to be obese
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 34.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 11.9% of people as of 2024.
be 22.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a suicide rate of 0.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In North Korea, it is 9.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 80.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 18.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In North Korea, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 19.6% more likely to die during childbirth
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, approximately 56.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In North Korea, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 30.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, approximately 10.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In North Korea, on the other hand, 13.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 42.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In North Korea, that number is 58% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 29.7 times more coastline
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a total of 84 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
Infrastructure
live with 3.5 times more strain on fresh water
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. North Korea withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 3.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, air pollution causes 25.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In North Korea, it causes 86.0 as of 2019.
emit 90.8% more CO2
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. North Korea emits 2.5 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: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines vs. North Korea
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North Korea: At a glance
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