Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Ukraine, you would:
Health
live 8.9 years longer
In Ukraine, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 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 63.3% less likely to be obese
In Ukraine, 22.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 3.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Ukraine spends $1,382 per person on healthcare as of 2021 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 17.1% more access to essential health services
Ukraine scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
have 26.1% fewer doctors per person
Ukraine has 35.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 29.8% more likely to die by suicide
Ukraine has a suicide rate of 21.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 6.2 times more money
Ukraine has a GDP per capita of $5,866 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 73.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ukraine, approximately 15.0 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 69.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Ukraine, approximately 7.6 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 14.1% fewer children
In Ukraine, there are approximately 5.5 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 18.7% more likely to have internet access
In Ukraine, approximately 82.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Geography
see 13.3% less coastline
Ukraine has a total of 2,782 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 87.3% less likely to be murdered
Ukraine has a homicide rate of 3.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 34.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ukraine, road accidents kill 10.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.2 times more home broadband
Ukraine has 21.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 4.5 times more electricity
Ukraine uses 2,516 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 13.5 times more strain on fresh water
Ukraine withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 71.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ukraine, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.6 times more CO2
Ukraine emits 3.1 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: Ukraine vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Ukraine? See an in-depth size comparison.