Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kuwait instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years longer
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Kuwait, that number is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 91.6% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kuwait, it is 2.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.8 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kuwait, that number is 40.4% of people as of 2024.
see 49.5% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kuwait spends $2,567 as of 2023.
have 12.9% fewer doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Kuwait has 22.7 as of 2020.
have 12.4% less access to essential health services
South Korea scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kuwait scores 78 as of 2021.
Economy
be 18.7% less likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kuwait, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 10.8% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Kuwait, the GDP per capita is $32,312 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kuwait, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 100.0% 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 Kuwait, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.0 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 Kuwait, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 42.9% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Kuwait, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 19.0% more on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Kuwait spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 79.3% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Kuwait, that number is 499 km.
Safety
be 47.9% less likely to be murdered
South Korea has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Kuwait, that number is 0.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 33.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kuwait, they kill 9.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 45.3% more electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh as of 2023.
find 97.9% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kuwait has 1.0 as of 2023.
live with 45.2 times more strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kuwait withdraws 3850% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.4 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 Kuwait, it causes 45.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Kuwait
Kuwait: At a glance
How big is Kuwait compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.