Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Swaziland, you would:
Health
live 12.1 years longer
In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 60 years (58 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2022. In North Korea, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
be 58.8% less likely to be obese
In Swaziland, 16.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In North Korea, that number is 6.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 86.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Swaziland, 22.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In North Korea, that number is 3.1% as of 2022.
make 81.3% less money
Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $9,100 as of 2022, while in North Korea, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2015.
Life
be 75.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Swaziland, approximately 437.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In North Korea, 107.0 women do as of 2020.
be 13.1% more likely to be literate
In Swaziland, the literacy rate is 88.4% as of 2018. In North Korea, it is 100.0% as of 2015.
be 44.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Swaziland, approximately 39.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In North Korea, on the other hand, 22.2 children do as of 2022.
have 40.8% fewer children
In Swaziland, there are approximately 22.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In North Korea, there are 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Swaziland, approximately 80% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2020. In North Korea, that number is 94% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2020.
be 36.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Swaziland, approximately 83% of people have electricity access (94% in urban areas, and 79% in rural areas) as of 2021. In North Korea, that number is 53% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2021.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Swaziland? See an in-depth size comparison.