Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of United States, you would:
Health
be 70.8% less likely to be obese
In United States, 41.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 11.9% of people as of 2024.
be 40.4% less likely to die by suicide
United States has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In North Korea, it is 9.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.2 years less
In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
have 20.9% less access to essential health services
United States scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. North Korea scores 68 as of 2021.
Economy
be 15.7% less likely to be unemployed
In United States, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In North Korea, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 21.3% more children
In United States, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In North Korea, there are 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 17.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In North Korea, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In North Korea, on the other hand, 13.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 42.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In United States, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In North Korea, that number is 58% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.5% less coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
Infrastructure
use 93.9% less electricity
United States uses 12,839 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. North Korea uses 789 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 81.6% less CO2
United States emits 13.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In United States, air pollution causes 14.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In North Korea, it causes 86.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: United States vs. North Korea
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.