Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Equatorial Guinea instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
be 74.5% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 19.7 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 19.2% of people as of 2024.
see 88.0% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Equatorial Guinea spends $609 as of 2023.
have 94.1% fewer doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 48.3% less access to essential health services
South Korea scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Equatorial Guinea scores 46 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
make 81.7% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Equatorial Guinea, the GDP per capita is $6,615 as of 2025.
Life
have 6.4 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, there are 30.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 43.5 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 Equatorial Guinea, 174.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.7 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 Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, 47.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 33.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Korea, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 67% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 35.3% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 97.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, about 63.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 59.7% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.7% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 296 km.
Safety
be 69.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.8% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 as of 2022.
use 93.0% less electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea uses 792 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 77.6% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Equatorial Guinea, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea: At a glance
How big is Equatorial Guinea compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.