Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 15.5 years less

In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Yemen, that number is 68 years (65 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

be 3.6 times more likely to be obese

In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Yemen, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 60.5% lower top tax rate

South Korea has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Yemen, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.

make 95.1% less money

South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Yemen, the GDP per capita is $2,500 as of 2017.

be 6.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Yemen, that number is 17.2% as of 2023.

be 3.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Yemen, however, that number is 48.6% as of 2014.

Life

have 3.4 times more children

In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Yemen, there are 23.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 22.9 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 Yemen, 183.0 women do as of 2020.

be 28.5% less likely to be literate

In South Korea, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2019. In Yemen, it is 70.1% as of 2015.

be 16.2 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 Yemen, on the other hand, 46.5 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 24.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In South Korea, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Yemen, 76% of the population do as of 2022.

be 72.9% less likely to have internet access

In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Yemen, about 26.6% do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 48.8% less on healthcare

South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Yemen, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2015.

Geography

see 21.0% less coastline

South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Yemen, that number is 1,906 km.

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

Yemen: At a glance

Yemen is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 527,968 sq km. North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement and brief civil war in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border. Fighting in the northwest between the government and the Huthis, a Zaydi Shia minority, began in 2004 and has since resulted in six rounds of fighting - the last ended in early 2010 with a cease-fire that continues to hold. The southern secessionist movement was revitalized in 2008 when a popular socioeconomic protest movement initiated the prior year took on political goals including secession. Public rallies in Sana'a against then President SALIH - inspired by similar demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt - slowly built momentum starting in late January 2011 fueled by complaints over high unemployment, poor economic conditions, and corruption. By the following month, some protests had resulted in violence, and the demonstrations had spread to other major cities. By March the opposition had hardened its demands and was unifying behind calls for SALIH's immediate ouster, and prominent military and tribal leaders began defecting from SALIH's camp. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in late April 2011, in an attempt to mediate the crisis in Yemen, proposed an agreement in which the president would step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution. SALIH's refusal to sign an agreement led to heavy street fighting and his injury in an explosion in June 2011. The UN Security Council passed Resolution 2014 in October 2011 calling on both sides to end the violence and complete a power transfer deal. In late November 2011, SALIH signed the GCC-brokered agreement to step down and to transfer some of his powers to Vice President Abd Rabuh Mansur HADI. Following elections in February 2012, won by HADI, SALIH formally transferred his powers. In accordance with the GCC initiative, Yemen launched a National Dialogue in March 2013 to discuss key constitutional, political, and social issues. HADI concluded the National Dialogue in January 2014. Subsequent steps in the transition process include constitutional drafting, a constitutional referendum, and national elections.
Read more

How big is Yemen 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 Yemen.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.