Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 4.6 times more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In France, that number is 21.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In France, that number is 7.3% as of 2023.

pay a 32.1% higher top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In France, the top tax rate is 50.2% as of 2016.

Life

have 57.5% more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In France, there are 10.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 12.2% less likely to have internet access

In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In France, about 86.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 17.0% more on education

South Korea spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. France spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 45.2% more on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In France, that number is 12.2% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.0 times more coastline

South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In France, that number is 4,853 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Direction Générale des Finances Publiques, National Tax Service, South Korea.

France: At a glance

France is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 549,970 sq km. France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-8, the G-20, the EU and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing DE GAULLE's 1966 decision to take French forces out of NATO. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier, more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent decades, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common currency, the euro, in January 1999. In the early 21st century, five French overseas entities - French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion - became French regions and were made part of France proper.
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How big is France compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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