Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Finland instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

live 10.0 years longer

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Finland, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 3.3 times more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Finland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 33.8 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Finland, the GDP per capita is $57,500 as of 2023.

be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Finland, that number is 7.2% as of 2023.

Life

be 92.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Finland, 8.0 women do as of 2020.

be 90.4% less likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 22.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Finland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2022.

have 22.7% fewer children

In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Finland, there are 10.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 82.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 55% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Finland, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

Geography

see 49.9% less coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Finland, that number is 1,250 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Finland: At a glance

Finland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 303,815 sq km. Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It gained complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it successfully defended its independence through cooperation with Germany and resisted subsequent invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, Finland transformed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro single currency at its initiation in January 1999. In the 21st century, the key features of Finland's modern welfare state are high quality education, promotion of equality, and a national social welfare system - currently challenged by an aging population and the fluctuations of an export-driven economy.
Read more

How big is Finland compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Finland.or North Korea It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.