Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
live 8.7 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Syria, that number is 74 years (73 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
be 5.9 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Syria, that number is 27.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
pay a 42.1% lower top tax rate
South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Syria, the top tax rate is 22.0% as of 2016.
make 93.6% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $45,600 as of 2022, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $2,900 as of 2015.
be 4.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Syria, that number is 13.8% as of 2022.
be 5.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Syria, however, that number is 82.5% as of 2014.
Life
have 3.1 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Syria, there are 21.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.8 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 Syria, 30.0 women do as of 2020.
be 11.8% less likely to be literate
In South Korea, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2019. In Syria, it is 86.4% as of 2015.
be 5.5 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 Syria, on the other hand, 15.9 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 11.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Korea, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Syria, 89% of the population do as of 2021.
be 52.4% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Geography
see 92.0% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Syria, National Tax Service, South Korea.
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.