Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Singapore instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
live 3.4 years longer
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Singapore, that number is 86 years (84 years for men, 89 years for women) as of 2022.
be 29.8% more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Singapore, that number is 6.1% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 2.5 times more money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Singapore, the GDP per capita is $127,500 as of 2023.
pay a 42.1% lower top tax rate
South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Singapore, the top tax rate is 22.0% as of 2016.
be 31.4% more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Singapore, that number is 3.5% as of 2023.
Life
be 46.0% less 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 Singapore, on the other hand, 1.6 children do as of 2022.
have 27.2% more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Singapore, there are 8.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.4% less on education
South Korea spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Singapore spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 27.4% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Singapore, that number is 6.1% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 92.0% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Singapore, that number is 193 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Tax Service, South Korea, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore.
Singapore: At a glance
How big is Singapore compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.