Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malta instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
see 12.3% more spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malta spends $5,706 as of 2023.
have 72.9% more doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malta has 45.1 as of 2022.
be 76.5% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malta, it is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.7 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malta, that number is 30.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 32.2% more money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Malta, the GDP per capita is $47,907 as of 2025.
Life
have 63.8% more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malta, there are 7.7 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 Malta, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.0 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 Malta, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.9% less on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Malta spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 91.8% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Malta, that number is 197 km.
Safety
be 72.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malta, they kill 1.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 16.7% more likely to be murdered
South Korea has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malta, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 14.8% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malta withdraws 73% as of 2022.
use 55.8% less electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Malta uses 5,013 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 72.0% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malta emits 3.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malta, it causes 21.0 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. Malta
Malta: At a glance
How big is Malta compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.