Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Germany, you would:
Health
live 1.5 years longer
In Germany, the average life expectancy is 82 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.
be 78.9% less likely to be obese
In Germany, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Korea, that number is 4.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 13.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Germany, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.
pay a 20.0% lower top tax rate
Germany has a top tax rate of 47.5% as of 2016. In South Korea, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.
make 18.3% less money
Germany has a GDP per capita of $61,900 as of 2023, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $50,600 as of 2023.
Life
be 10.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Germany, approximately 3.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Korea, on the other hand, 2.9 children do as of 2022.
be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Germany, approximately 4.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In South Korea, 8.0 women do as of 2020.
have 22.2% fewer children
In Germany, there are approximately 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 34.4% less on healthcare
Germany spends 12.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt), National Tax Service, South Korea.
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Germany? See an in-depth size comparison.