Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Thailand, you would:
Health
live 7.1 years longer
In Thailand, the average life expectancy is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 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 48.8% less likely to be obese
In Thailand, 16.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 4.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Thailand spends $1,067 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 4.8 times more doctors per person
Thailand has 5.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 65.9% more likely to die by suicide
Thailand has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 4.5 times more money
Thailand has a GDP per capita of $8,057 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Thailand, 0.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
Life
be 88.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Thailand, approximately 34.0 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 70.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Thailand, approximately 7.7 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 42.1% fewer children
In Thailand, there are approximately 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Thailand spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 91.2% more on healthcare
Thailand spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 25.0% less coastline
Thailand has a total of 3,219 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 72.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Thailand, road accidents kill 25.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.2 times more home broadband
Thailand has 14.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 3.8 times more electricity
Thailand uses 2,965 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 3.7 times more strain on fresh water
Thailand withdraws 23% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 34.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Thailand, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.9 times more CO2
Thailand emits 4.0 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Thailand vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Thailand? See an in-depth size comparison.