Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Solomon Islands instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
be 28.8% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Solomon Islands, it is 19.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 12.9 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, that number is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 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 Solomon Islands, that number is 21.8% of people as of 2024.
see 97.0% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Solomon Islands spends $153 as of 2023.
have 90.9% fewer doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Solomon Islands has 2.4 as of 2023.
have 47.2% less access to essential health services
South Korea scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Solomon Islands scores 47 as of 2021.
Economy
be 46.6% less likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Solomon Islands, that number is 1.4% as of 2025.
make 94.2% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Solomon Islands, the GDP per capita is $2,086 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.7 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, there are 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 30.8 times 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 Solomon Islands, 123.0 women do as of 2023.
be 7.1 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 Solomon Islands, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Korea, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Solomon Islands, that number is 81% of people on average (81% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 70.3% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 97.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, about 29.0% do as of 2024.
be 28.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In South Korea, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, 72% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.2% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Solomon Islands, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 53.2% more on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Solomon Islands spends 8.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.2 times more coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Solomon Islands, that number is 5,313 km.
Safety
be 62.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Solomon Islands, they kill 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.8% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Solomon Islands has 0.1 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 96.7% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Solomon Islands emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.0 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 Solomon Islands, it causes 57.0 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. Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: At a glance
How big is Solomon Islands compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.