Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
live 10.7 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Bhutan, that number is 72 years (71 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2022.
be 36.2% more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Bhutan, that number is 6.4% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 14.9% less likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 3.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2017.
be 43.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Bhutan, however, that number is 8.2% as of 2017.
make 74.2% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $42,300 as of 2020, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $10,900 as of 2020.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Bhutan, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 16.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Korea, approximately 11.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Bhutan, 183.0 women do as of 2017.
be 32.0% less likely to be literate
In South Korea, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2019. In Bhutan, it is 66.6% as of 2017.
be 9.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, approximately 2.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Bhutan, on the other hand, 27.0 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 44.3% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Bhutan, about 54.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 56.1% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Bhutan, that number is 3.6% of GDP as of 2019.
spend 53.3% more on education
South Korea spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Bhutan spends 6.9% of total GDP on education as of 2018.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.