Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Singapore instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
see 28.9% more spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Singapore spends $6,551 as of 2023.
be 70.6% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Singapore, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.0 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Singapore, that number is 17.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.7 times more money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Singapore, the GDP per capita is $98,814 as of 2025.
Life
have 57.4% more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Singapore, there are 7.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 50.0% 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 Singapore, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 59.5% less on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Singapore spends 2.2% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 48.3% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Singapore, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 92.0% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Singapore, that number is 193 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 Singapore, that number is 0.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 72.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Singapore, they kill 1.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 61.0% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Singapore withdraws 33% as of 2022.
find 41.8% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Singapore has 27.8 as of 2024.
use 14.1% less electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Singapore uses 9,750 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 14.2% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Singapore emits 9.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 21.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Singapore, it causes 23.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Singapore
Singapore: At a glance
How big is Singapore compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.