Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 10.5 years less

In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Moldova, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022.

be 4.0 times more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Moldova, that number is 18.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 38.6% less likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Moldova, that number is 1.6% as of 2023.

pay a 52.6% lower top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Moldova, the top tax rate is 18.0% as of 2016.

make 69.0% less money

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Moldova, the GDP per capita is $15,700 as of 2023.

be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Moldova, however, that number is 31.1% as of 2022.

Life

have 21.4% more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Moldova, there are 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 50.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In South Korea, approximately 8.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Moldova, 12.0 women do as of 2020.

be 4.0 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 Moldova, on the other hand, 11.6 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 22.1% less likely to have internet access

In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Moldova, about 76.3% do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 19.0% less on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Moldova, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 36.2% more on education

South Korea spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Moldova spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

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

Moldova: At a glance

Moldova is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 32,891 sq km. Part of Romania during the interwar period, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although the country has been independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Nistru River supporting the separatist region of Transnistria, composed of a Slavic majority population (mostly Ukrainians and Russians), but with a sizeable ethnic Moldovan minority. One of the poorest nations in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a communist, Vladimir VORONIN, as its president in 2001. VORONIN served as Moldova's president until he resigned in September 2009, following the opposition's gain of a narrow majority in July parliamentary elections and the Communist Party's (PCRM) subsequent inability to attract the three-fifths of parliamentary votes required to elect a president and, by doing so, put into place a permanent government. Four Moldovan opposition parties formed a new coalition, the Alliance for European Integration (AEI), iterations of which have acted as Moldova's governing coalitions since. Moldova experienced significant political uncertainty between 2009 and early 2012, holding three general elections and numerous presidential ballots in parliament, all of which failed to secure a president. Following November 2010 parliamentary elections, a reconstituted AEI-coalition consisting of three of the four original AEI parties formed a government, and in March 2012 was finally able to elect an independent as president. As of late May 2013, the ruling coalition - comprised of two of the original AEI parties and a splinter group from a third - is called the Pro-European Coalition. In November 2013, the Moldovan Government initialed an Association Agreement with the European Union (EU), advancing the coalition's policy priority of EU integration.
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