Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 14.7 years less

In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 94.5% less money

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $2,800 as of 2023.

be 32.6% more likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.5% as of 2023.

be 63.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 23.5% as of 2015.

Life

have 4.3 times more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Ethiopia, there are 29.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 33.4 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 Ethiopia, 267.0 women do as of 2020.

be 47.1% less likely to be literate

In South Korea, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2019. In Ethiopia, it is 51.8% as of 2017.

be 11.7 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 Ethiopia, on the other hand, 33.5 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 45.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In South Korea, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Ethiopia, 55% of the population do as of 2022.

be 82.7% less likely to have internet access

In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Ethiopia, about 17.0% do as of 2021.

be 23.5% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In South Korea, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Ethiopia, 76% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 58.3% less on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2020.

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

Ethiopia: At a glance

Ethiopia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,096,570 sq km. Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation from 1936-41. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. In November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC) issued specific coordinates as virtually demarcating the border and pronounced its work finished. Alleging that the EEBC acted beyond its mandate in issuing the coordinates, Ethiopia has not accepted them and has not withdrawn troops from previously contested areas pronounced by the EEBC as belonging to Eritrea. In August 2012, longtime leader Prime Minister MELES Zenawi died in office and was replaced by his Deputy Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn, marking the first peaceful transition of power in decades.
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How big is Ethiopia compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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