Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Estonia instead of South Korea, you would:

Health

live 5.1 years less

In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Estonia, that number is 78 years (73 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.

be 4.5 times more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Estonia, that number is 21.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 47.4% lower top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Estonia, the top tax rate is 20.0% as of 2016.

make 17.0% less money

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Estonia, the GDP per capita is $42,000 as of 2023.

be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Estonia, that number is 6.3% as of 2023.

be 56.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Estonia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.

Life

be 37.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Korea, approximately 8.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Estonia, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

have 18.5% more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Estonia, there are 8.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 19.2% 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 Estonia, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 40.4% more on education

South Korea spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Estonia spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 57.2% more coastline

South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Estonia, that number is 3,794 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Estonian Tax and Customs Board, The World Factbook, National Tax Service, South Korea.

Estonia: At a glance

Estonia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 42,388 sq km. After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US - it regained its freedom in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with the West. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004, formally joined the OECD in late 2010, and adopted the euro as its official currency on 1 January 2011.
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How big is Estonia compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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