Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Timor-Leste, you would:
Health
live 15.7 years longer
In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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.
see 11.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 3.5 times more doctors per person
Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 71.2% more access to essential health services
Timor-Leste scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
be 7.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 65.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Timor-Leste, 41.8% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 27.0 times more money
Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
be 68.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
Life
be 97.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 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 41.2% more likely to be literate
In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 69.4% as of 2022. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 93.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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 78.4% fewer children
In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 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 2.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 14.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Timor-Leste, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Geography
see 3.4 times more coastline
Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 42.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4780.0 times more home broadband
Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 3.0 times more strain on fresh water
Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 68.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 22.7 times more CO2
Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2014–2019), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Timor-Leste vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.