Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
live 5.5 years longer
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 3.4 times more money
Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $12,500 as of 2020, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $42,300 as of 2020.
be 22.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Sri Lanka, 4.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In South Korea, that number is 3.8% as of 2019.
be 3.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sri Lanka, 4.1% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
pay a 2.5 times higher top tax rate
Sri Lanka has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In South Korea, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 69.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Sri Lanka, approximately 36.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Korea, 11.0 women do as of 2017.
be 65.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Sri Lanka, approximately 8.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Korea, on the other hand, 2.9 children do as of 2022.
have 49.9% fewer children
In Sri Lanka, there are approximately 13.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Korea, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 2.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Sri Lanka, approximately 35.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In South Korea, about 97.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Sri Lanka spends 2.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. South Korea spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2018.
spend 100.0% more on healthcare
Sri Lanka spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Korea, that number is 8.2% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 80.1% more coastline
Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Tax Service, South Korea, Sri Lanka Inland Revenue Department.
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.