Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 8.8 years longer
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In United States, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.
be 5.3 times more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In United States, that number is 36.2% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 38.0 times more money
North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $64,600 as of 2022.
be 18.9% more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In United States, that number is 3.6% as of 2022.
Life
be 80.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In United States, 21.0 women do as of 2020.
be 76.7% 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 United States, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 90.1% more likely to have access to electricity
In North Korea, approximately 53% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In United States, 100% of the population do as of 2021.
Geography
see 8.0 times more coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.