Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Serbia, you would:
Health
live 7.7 years longer
In Serbia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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 61.7% less likely to be obese
In Serbia, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Serbia spends $2,303 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 23.6% more access to essential health services
Serbia scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
have 15.8% fewer doctors per person
Serbia has 31.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 81.8% more likely to die by suicide
Serbia has a suicide rate of 15.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 62.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Serbia, 7.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 2.4 times more money
Serbia has a GDP per capita of $15,262 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 Serbia, 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 50.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Serbia, approximately 4.6 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 48.9% fewer children
In Serbia, there are approximately 9.2 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 11.6% more likely to have internet access
In Serbia, approximately 87.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 59.1% more on education
Serbia spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 63.4% less likely to be murdered
Serbia has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 43.2% more home broadband
Serbia has 33.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 2.2 times more electricity
Serbia uses 5,090 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 14.8 times more strain on fresh water
Serbia withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 57.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Serbia, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Serbia vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Serbia? See an in-depth size comparison.