Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Timor-Leste instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
be 56.9% less likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 3.6% of people as of 2024.
be 87.1% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 15.7 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 90.9% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Timor-Leste spends $461 as of 2023.
have 71.2% fewer doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Timor-Leste has 7.5 as of 2020.
have 41.6% less access to essential health services
South Korea scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Timor-Leste scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 40.7% less likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Timor-Leste, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
be 2.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Timor-Leste, however, that number is 41.8% as of 2014.
make 96.3% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Timor-Leste, the GDP per capita is $1,341 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.6 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, there are 21.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 48.0 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 Timor-Leste, 192.0 women do as of 2023.
be 29.2% less likely to be literate
In South Korea, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2019. In Timor-Leste, it is 69.4% as of 2022.
be 15.0 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 Timor-Leste, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 58.4% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 97.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, about 40.8% do as of 2022.
be 12.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In South Korea, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, 87% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.6% more on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 70.7% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Timor-Leste, that number is 706 km.
Safety
be 73.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 66.8% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Timor-Leste withdraws 28% as of 2022.
find 100.0% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Timor-Leste has 0.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 95.6% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.2 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 Timor-Leste, it causes 61.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2014–2019), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: At a glance
How big is Timor-Leste compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.