Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
have 30.5% more doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
be 96.5% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.6 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 4.8 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
see 31.6% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 16.9% less access to essential health services
South Korea scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 13.4% more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 3.5 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 75.0% 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.2% less on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 34.4% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 11.4 times more strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% 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 Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 62.7% more CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.