Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 5.3 years less

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Namibia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022.

be 2.5 times more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Namibia, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 6.8 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2023.

be 6.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 19.4% as of 2023.

Life

have 84.1% more children

In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Namibia, 215.0 women do as of 2020.

be 32.5% more 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 Namibia, on the other hand, 29.4 children do as of 2022.

Geography

see 37.0% less coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.

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

Namibia: At a glance

Namibia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 823,290 sq km. South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that became Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia has been governed by SWAPO since the country won independence in 1990. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule. POHAMBA was reelected in November 2009.
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How big is Namibia compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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