Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 9.4 years longer

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Taiwan, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 28.1 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Taiwan, the GDP per capita is $47,800 as of 2019.

be 24.3% more likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Taiwan, that number is 3.7% as of 2019.

Life

be 82.1% 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 Taiwan, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2022.

have 44.7% fewer children

In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Taiwan, there are 7.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Geography

see 37.2% less coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Taiwan, that number is 1,566 km.

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

Taiwan: At a glance

Taiwan is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 32,260 sq km. In 1895, military defeat forced China's Qing Dynasty to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan came under Chinese Nationalist control after World War II. Following the communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1947 constitution drawn up for all of China. Beginning in the 1950s, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the local population within the governing structure. This process expanded rapidly in the 1980s. In 2000, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist (Kuomintang or KMT) to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political issues continue to be management of sensitive relations between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of Taiwan's eventual status - as well as domestic priorities for economic reform and growth.
Read more

How big is Taiwan 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 Taiwan.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.