Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Swaziland, you would:
Health
live 19.4 years longer
In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 71.7% less likely to be obese
In Swaziland, 29.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 5.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Swaziland spends $922 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 4.7 times more doctors per person
Swaziland has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 58.9% more access to essential health services
Swaziland scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
Economy
be 92.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Swaziland, 34.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 8.8 times more money
Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $4,108 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 96.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Swaziland, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 94.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Swaziland, approximately 42.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 80.1% fewer children
In Swaziland, there are approximately 23.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 15.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Swaziland, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 85% in rural areas) as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 54.4% more likely to have internet access
In Swaziland, approximately 63.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 24.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Swaziland, approximately 80% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.3% less on education
Swaziland spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 15.7% more on healthcare
Swaziland spends 7.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 96.2% less likely to be murdered
Swaziland has a homicide rate of 12.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 72.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Swaziland, road accidents kill 24.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 19.0 times more home broadband
Swaziland has 2.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 9.5 times more electricity
Swaziland uses 1,200 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 71.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Swaziland, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.9 times more CO2
Swaziland emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Swaziland vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Swaziland? See an in-depth size comparison.