Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 4.2 times more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Italy, that number is 19.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.

be 39.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.

pay a 28.4% higher top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Italy, the top tax rate is 48.8% as of 2016.

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 Italy, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 10.1% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 23.5% less likely to have internet access

In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Italy, about 75.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 14.3% more on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Italy, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 3.1 times more coastline

South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Italian Revenue Agency, National Tax Service, South Korea.

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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How big is Italy compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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