Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Poland instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
have 54.4% more doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Poland has 40.3 as of 2023.
be 50.3% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Poland, it is 13.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.2 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Poland, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Poland, that number is 21.8% of people as of 2024.
see 22.5% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Poland spends $3,939 as of 2024.
Economy
be 11.2% more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Poland, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 21.6% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Poland, the GDP per capita is $28,420 as of 2025.
Life
be 50.0% less 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 Poland, 2.0 women do as of 2023.
have 46.8% more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Poland, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 56.5% 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 Poland, on the other hand, 3.6 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.3% less on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Poland spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 81.8% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Poland, that number is 440 km.
Safety
be 66.7% more likely to be murdered
South Korea has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Poland, that number is 0.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 82.7% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In South Korea, 64% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Poland, that number is 11% as of 2022.
Infrastructure
live with 61.9% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Poland withdraws 32% as of 2022.
find 46.9% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Poland has 25.4 as of 2024.
use 61.5% less electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Poland uses 4,370 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 33.5% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Poland emits 7.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.2 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 Poland, it causes 41.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Poland
Poland: At a glance
How big is Poland compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.