Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Syria, you would:
Health
live 11.1 years longer
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 74.6% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 41.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 71.6% more doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 39.1% more access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 46.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 80.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 82.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 34.3 times more money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 80.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 20.0 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 87.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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 79.7% fewer children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 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 13.1% more likely to have access to electricity
In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% 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 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.2 times more on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 12.5 times more coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 76.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 7.0 times more home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 31.5% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
use 13.3 times more electricity
Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 77.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 8.9 times more CO2
Syria emits 1.3 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), The World Factbook (2014–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.