Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Russia, you would:
Health
live 10.5 years longer
In Russia, the average life expectancy is 72 years (67 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.
be 79.7% less likely to be obese
In Russia, 23.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Korea, that number is 4.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 27.1% more money
Russia has a GDP per capita of $39,800 as of 2023, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $50,600 as of 2023.
be 20.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Russia, 3.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.
be 30.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Russia, 11.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
pay a 2.9 times higher top tax rate
Russia has a top tax rate of 13.0% as of 2016. In South Korea, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 42.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Russia, approximately 14.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In South Korea, 8.0 women do as of 2020.
be 55.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Russia, approximately 6.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Korea, on the other hand, 2.9 children do as of 2022.
have 17.6% fewer children
In Russia, there are approximately 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 11.4% more likely to have internet access
In Russia, approximately 88.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In South Korea, about 98.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 27.0% more on education
Russia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Korea spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2019.
spend 10.5% more on healthcare
Russia spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 93.6% less coastline
Russia has a total of 37,653 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Federal Tax Service of Russia, The World Factbook, National Tax Service, South Korea.
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.