Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
live 17.1 years longer
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 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 27.7% less likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 20.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 8.1 times more doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 58.9% more access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 3.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 54.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 27.5 times more money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zambia, approximately 85.0 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 93.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Zambia, 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 85.6% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 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 95.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Zambia, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 18% 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 5.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 36.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Zambia, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.9% more on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 45.2% more on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 59.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 60.5 times more home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 15.6 times more electricity
Zambia uses 727 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 30.0 times more strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 62.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 21.0 times more CO2
Zambia 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.