Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Slovakia, you would:
Health
live 5.3 years longer
In Slovakia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 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 67.9% less likely to be obese
In Slovakia, 26.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 57.3% more spent on your healthcare
Slovakia spends $3,230 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 29.4% fewer doctors per person
Slovakia has 37.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Slovakia has a suicide rate of 9.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 50.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Slovakia, 5.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 26.9% more money
Slovakia has a GDP per capita of $28,544 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 56.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Slovakia, approximately 5.3 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 44.7% fewer children
In Slovakia, there are approximately 8.5 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 16.1% more on education
Slovakia spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 18.1% more on healthcare
Slovakia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 57.1% less likely to be murdered
Slovakia has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 41.4% more home broadband
Slovakia has 33.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 2.4 times more electricity
Slovakia uses 4,675 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 35.1 times more strain on fresh water
Slovakia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 36.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Slovakia, air pollution causes 30.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Slovakia emits 5.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Slovakia vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Slovakia? See an in-depth size comparison.