Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Thailand instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
be 39.7% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Thailand, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.1 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 95.5% more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 16.4% of people as of 2024.
see 79.0% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Thailand spends $1,067 as of 2023.
have 79.3% fewer doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Thailand has 5.4 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.9% less likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.
make 77.8% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $8,057 as of 2025.
Life
have 72.8% more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.5 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 Thailand, 34.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.3 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 Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.4% less on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 47.7% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 33.4% more coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Thailand, that number is 3,219 km.
Safety
be 3.7 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 Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 73.0% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.
find 68.8% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Thailand has 14.9 as of 2024.
use 73.9% less electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Thailand uses 2,965 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 65.1% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 52.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Thailand, it causes 29.0 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. Thailand
Thailand: At a glance
How big is Thailand compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.