Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Eritrea instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
be 48.3% less likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 4.3% of people as of 2024.
be 51.9% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Eritrea, it is 13.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 14.7 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 98.3% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Eritrea spends $87 as of 2023.
have 96.6% fewer doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Eritrea has 0.9 as of 2022.
have 49.4% less access to essential health services
South Korea scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Eritrea scores 45 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Eritrea, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 6.1 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Eritrea, there are 28.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 72.8 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 Eritrea, 291.0 women do as of 2023.
be 21.8% less likely to be literate
In South Korea, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2019. In Eritrea, it is 76.6% as of 2018.
be 10.7 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 Eritrea, on the other hand, 24.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 45.6% 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 Eritrea, that number is 54% of people on average (77% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 72.8% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 97.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Eritrea, about 26.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 57.6% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.6 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 Eritrea, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 86.9% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Eritrea withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 99.6% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Eritrea has 0.2 as of 2022.
use 98.9% less electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Eritrea uses 123 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 98.1% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Eritrea emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.1 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 Eritrea, it causes 78.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2018–2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Eritrea
Eritrea: At a glance
How big is Eritrea compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.