Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Dominican Republic instead of South Korea, you would:

Health

live 10.4 years less

In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Dominican Republic, that number is 73 years (71 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2022.

be 5.9 times more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Dominican Republic, that number is 27.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 34.2% lower top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Dominican Republic, the top tax rate is 25.0% as of 2016.

make 54.3% less money

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Dominican Republic, the GDP per capita is $23,100 as of 2023.

be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Dominican Republic, that number is 5.6% as of 2023.

be 66.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Dominican Republic, however, that number is 23.9% as of 2021.

Life

have 2.5 times more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Dominican Republic, there are 17.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 13.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In South Korea, approximately 8.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Dominican Republic, 107.0 women do as of 2020.

be 7.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In South Korea, approximately 2.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Dominican Republic, on the other hand, 21.2 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 13.3% less likely to have internet access

In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, about 85.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 41.7% less on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Dominican Republic, that number is 4.9% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 46.6% less coastline

South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Dominican Republic, that number is 1,288 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Tax Service, South Korea, Direccion General de Impuestos Internos.

Dominican Republic: At a glance

Dominican Republic is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 48,320 sq km. The Taino - indigenous inhabitants of Hispaniola prior to the arrival of the Europeans - divided the island into five chiefdoms and territories. Christopher COLUMBUS explored and claimed the island on his first voyage in 1492; it became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821 but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930 to 1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (first term 1996-2000) won election to a new term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term, and was later reelected to a second consecutive term. In 2012, Danilo MEDINA Sanchez was elected president.
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