Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
live 2.3 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (79 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2020. In United States, that number is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020.
be 7.7 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In United States, that number is 36.2% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 51.4% more money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $39,500 as of 2017, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $59,800 as of 2017.
be 18.9% more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 3.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In United States, that number is 4.4% as of 2017.
Life
have 51.2% more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 8.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In United States, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.
be 72.7% more likely to die during childbirth
In South Korea, approximately 11.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In United States, 19.0 women do as of 2017.
be 76.7% more likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, approximately 3.0 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In United States, on the other hand, 5.3 children do as of 2020.
Geography
see 8.3 times more coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.