Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Qatar instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
have 15.8% more doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Qatar has 30.2 as of 2023.
be 82.9% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Qatar, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.1 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Qatar, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 5.0 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Qatar, that number is 42.0% of people as of 2024.
see 42.9% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Qatar spends $2,901 as of 2023.
have 14.6% less access to essential health services
South Korea scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Qatar scores 76 as of 2021.
Economy
be 95.1% less likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Qatar, that number is 0.1% as of 2025.
make 2.0 times more money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Qatar, the GDP per capita is $72,525 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.0 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Qatar, there are 9.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 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 Qatar, on the other hand, 4.8 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.3% less on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Qatar spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 71.0% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Qatar, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 76.7% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Qatar, that number is 563 km.
Safety
be 85.4% less likely to be murdered
South Korea has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Qatar, that number is 0.1 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
use 75.9% more electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Qatar uses 19,963 kWh as of 2023.
find 75.3% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Qatar has 11.8 as of 2024.
live with 5.1 times more strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Qatar withdraws 431% as of 2022.
Environment
be 4.8 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 Qatar, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.2 times more CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Qatar emits 47.3 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. Qatar
Qatar: At a glance
How big is Qatar compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.