Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
live 6.5 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In North Korea, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
be 76.0% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In North Korea, that number is 6.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 10.3% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 28.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In North Korea, that number is 25.6% as of 2013.
make 85.2% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $11,500 as of 2020, while in North Korea, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2015.
Life
be 25.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 119.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In North Korea, 89.0 women do as of 2017.
be 14.1% less likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In North Korea, on the other hand, 22.2 children do as of 2022.
have 23.4% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In North Korea, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 72.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 94% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2019. In North Korea, that number is 26% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2019.
Geography
see 10.8% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.