Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nauru instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
live 21.3 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Nauru, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
be 8.5 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nauru, that number is 71.4% of people as of 2024.
see 51.3% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nauru spends $2,474 as of 2023.
have 32.6% less access to essential health services
South Korea scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nauru scores 60 as of 2021.
Economy
make 59.6% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Nauru, the GDP per capita is $14,640 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.2 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nauru, there are 24.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 68.2 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 Nauru, 273.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.3 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 Nauru, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 15.2% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 97.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nauru, about 83.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Nauru, that number is 18.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.8% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Nauru, that number is 30 km.
Safety
be 15.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nauru, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 79.2% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nauru has 10.0 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Nauru
Nauru: At a glance
How big is Nauru compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.