Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
live 11.2 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In North Korea, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
be 44.7% more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In North Korea, that number is 6.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 96.0% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $42,300 as of 2020, while in North Korea, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2015.
be 6.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 3.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In North Korea, that number is 25.6% as of 2013.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In North Korea, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 8.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Korea, approximately 11.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In North Korea, 89.0 women do as of 2017.
be 7.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, approximately 2.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In North Korea, on the other hand, 22.2 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 74.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Korea, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2020. In North Korea, 26% of the population do as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.