Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Swaziland, you would:
Health
live 23.3 years longer
In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 60 years (58 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.
be 71.5% less likely to be obese
In Swaziland, 16.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Korea, that number is 4.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 4.8 times more money
Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $10,600 as of 2023, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $50,600 as of 2023.
be 93.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Swaziland, 37.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.
be 75.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Swaziland, 58.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
pay a 15.2% higher top tax rate
Swaziland has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In South Korea, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 98.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Swaziland, approximately 437.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Korea, 8.0 women do as of 2020.
be 10.9% more likely to be literate
In Swaziland, the literacy rate is 88.4% as of 2018. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 92.8% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.9 children do as of 2022.
have 69.0% fewer children
In Swaziland, there are approximately 22.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 21.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Swaziland, approximately 82% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In South Korea, 100% of the population do as of 2022.
be 66.1% more likely to have internet access
In Swaziland, approximately 59.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In South Korea, about 98.0% do as of 2021.
be 24.4% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Swaziland, approximately 80% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 29.2% more on healthcare
Swaziland spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Swaziland Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, National Tax Service, South Korea.
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Swaziland? See an in-depth size comparison.