Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.5 years less

In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Germany, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.

be 4.7 times more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Germany, that number is 22.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 22.3% more money

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Germany, the GDP per capita is $61,900 as of 2023.

be 15.5% more likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Germany, that number is 3.0% as of 2023.

pay a 25.0% higher top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Germany, the top tax rate is 47.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 50.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Korea, approximately 8.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Germany, 4.0 women do as of 2020.

have 28.6% more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Germany, there are 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 11.1% 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 Germany, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 52.4% more on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Germany, that number is 12.8% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt), National Tax Service, South Korea.

Germany: At a glance

Germany is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 348,672 sq km. As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation (after Russia), Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern productivity and wages up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.
Read more

How big is Germany compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Germany.or South Korea It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.