Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 9.7 years longer

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Greece, that number is 81 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.

be 3.7 times more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Greece, that number is 24.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 21.4 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Greece, the GDP per capita is $36,300 as of 2023.

be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Greece, that number is 11.0% 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 Greece, 8.0 women do as of 2020.

be 84.0% 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 Greece, on the other hand, 3.5 children do as of 2022.

have 43.9% fewer children

In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Greece, there are 7.4 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 Greece, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

Geography

see 5.5 times more coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Greece, that number is 13,676 km.

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

Greece: At a glance

Greece is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 130,647 sq km. Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-communist and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. In 2010, the prospect of a Greek default on its euro-denominated debt created severe strains within the EMU and raised the question of whether a member country might voluntarily leave the common currency or be removed.
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How big is Greece compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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