Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Kenya, you would:
Health
live 2.1 years longer
In Kenya, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In North Korea, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
be 45.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Kenya, 5.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In North Korea, that number is 3.1% as of 2022.
make 65.3% less money
Kenya has a GDP per capita of $4,900 as of 2022, while in North Korea, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2015.
Life
be 79.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Kenya, approximately 530.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In North Korea, 107.0 women do as of 2020.
be 21.1% more likely to be literate
In Kenya, the literacy rate is 82.6% as of 2021. In North Korea, it is 100.0% as of 2015.
be 20.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Kenya, approximately 27.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In North Korea, on the other hand, 22.2 children do as of 2022.
have 48.4% fewer children
In Kenya, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In North Korea, there are 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 32.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Kenya, approximately 71% of people have improved drinking water access (91% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2020. In North Korea, that number is 94% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2020.
be 31.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Kenya, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2021. In North Korea, that number is 53% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2021.
Geography
see 4.7 times more coastline
Kenya has a total of 536 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Kenya? See an in-depth size comparison.