Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 9.9 years less

In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Indonesia, that number is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022.

be 46.8% more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Indonesia, that number is 6.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 34.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Indonesia, however, that number is 9.4% as of 2023.

pay a 21.1% lower top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Indonesia, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.

make 72.1% less money

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Indonesia, the GDP per capita is $14,100 as of 2023.

be 29.5% more likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Indonesia, that number is 3.4% as of 2023.

Life

have 2.1 times more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Indonesia, there are 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 21.6 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 Indonesia, 173.0 women do as of 2020.

be 6.9 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 Indonesia, on the other hand, 19.7 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 36.7% less likely to have internet access

In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Indonesia, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 25.5% less on education

South Korea spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Indonesia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 59.5% less on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Indonesia, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 22.7 times more coastline

South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Indonesia, that number is 54,716 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Direktorat Jenderal Pajak, National Tax Service, South Korea.

Indonesia: At a glance

Indonesia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 1,811,569 sq km. The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; Japan occupied the islands from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence shortly before Japan's surrender, but it required four years of sometimes brutal fighting, intermittent negotiations, and UN mediation before the Netherlands agreed to transfer sovereignty in 1949. A period of sometimes unruly parliamentary democracy ended in 1957 when President SOEKARNO declared martial law and instituted "Guided Democracy." After an abortive coup in 1965 by alleged communist sympathizers, SOEKARNO was gradually eased from power. From 1967 until 1988, President SUHARTO ruled Indonesia with his "New Order" government. After rioting toppled Suharto in 1998, free and fair legislative elections took place in 1999. Indonesia is now the world's third most populous democracy, the world's largest archipelagic state, and the world's largest Muslim-majority nation. Current issues include: alleviating poverty, improving education, preventing terrorism, consolidating democracy after four decades of authoritarianism, implementing economic and financial reforms, stemming corruption, reforming the criminal justice system, holding the military and police accountable for human rights violations, addressing climate change, and controlling infectious diseases, particularly those of global and regional importance. In 2005, Indonesia reached a historic peace agreement with armed separatists in Aceh, which led to democratic elections in Aceh in December 2006. Indonesia continues to face low intensity armed resistance in Papua by the separatist Free Papua Movement.
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How big is Indonesia compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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