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

Singapore is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 709 sq km. Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.
Read more

How big is Singapore 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 Singapore.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.