Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Zimbabwe, you would:
Health
live 20.6 years longer
In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 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 43.1% less likely to be obese
In Zimbabwe, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 49.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Zimbabwe spends $103 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 19.2 times more doctors per person
Zimbabwe has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 61.8% more access to essential health services
Zimbabwe scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 58.8% more likely to die by suicide
Zimbabwe has a suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 71.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Zimbabwe, 9.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 62.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zimbabwe, 38.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 12.0 times more money
Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $3,021 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zimbabwe, approximately 358.0 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 96.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62.4 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 84.3% fewer children
In Zimbabwe, there are approximately 29.9 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 61.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (84% in urban areas, and 51% 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 2.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Zimbabwe, approximately 41.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
be 48.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Zimbabwe, approximately 67% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.2 times more on education
Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 3.0 times more on healthcare
Zimbabwe spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 92.9% less likely to be murdered
Zimbabwe has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 76.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zimbabwe, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 24.6 times more home broadband
Zimbabwe has 1.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 22.5 times more electricity
Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 84.9% more strain on fresh water
Zimbabwe withdraws 46% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 66.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Zimbabwe, air pollution causes 56.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.8 times more CO2
Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2016). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zimbabwe vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.