Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Dominican Republic instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
be 84.7% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.8 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.7 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
see 77.0% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Dominican Republic spends $1,169 as of 2023.
have 13.5% less access to essential health services
South Korea scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Dominican Republic scores 77 as of 2021.
Economy
be 89.9% more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Dominican Republic, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 69.5% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Dominican Republic, the GDP per capita is $11,059 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.7 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, there are 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 31.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Korea, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Dominican Republic, 124.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, approximately 2.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, on the other hand, 27.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.5% less on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 47.0% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 46.6% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Dominican Republic, that number is 1,288 km.
Safety
be 22.8 times more likely to be murdered
South Korea has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Dominican Republic, that number is 10.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 38.3% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In South Korea, 64% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, that number is 40% as of 2022.
be 4.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, they kill 27.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 53.6% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Dominican Republic withdraws 40% as of 2022.
find 76.6% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Dominican Republic has 11.2 as of 2024.
use 83.5% less electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 73.7% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 42.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Dominican Republic, it causes 27.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: At a glance
How big is Dominican Republic compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.