Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Italy instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
have 60.6% more doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Italy has 41.9 as of 2022.
be 74.6% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 67.1% more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 19.5% more money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.
Life
have 34.0% more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 50.0% 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 Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 24.8% less on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Italy spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 3.1 times more coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.
Safety
be 27.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Italy, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 18.7% more likely to be murdered
South Korea has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 65.1% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Italy withdraws 30% as of 2022.
find 33.5% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Italy has 31.8 as of 2024.
use 54.7% less electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Italy uses 5,137 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 21.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Italy, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 55.3% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Italy emits 5.1 tonnes as of 2024.
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. Italy
Italy: At a glance
How big is Italy compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.