Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 77.2% less likely to be obese

In Sweden, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Korea, that number is 4.7% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 65.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Sweden, 7.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.

be 10.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.

pay a 33.5% lower top tax rate

Sweden has a top tax rate of 57.1% as of 2016. In South Korea, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.

make 21.2% less money

Sweden has a GDP per capita of $64,200 as of 2023, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $50,600 as of 2023.

Life

be 60.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Sweden, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In South Korea, 8.0 women do as of 2020.

be 24.8% more likely to die during infancy

In Sweden, approximately 2.3 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 35.3% fewer children

In Sweden, there are approximately 10.7 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 11.4% more likely to have internet access

In Sweden, approximately 88.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In South Korea, about 98.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 34.7% less on education

Sweden spends 7.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Korea spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

spend 26.3% less on healthcare

Sweden spends 11.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 25.0% less coastline

Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.

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

South Korea: At a glance

South Korea (sometimes abbreviated ROK) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 96,920 sq km. An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan beginning in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. In 1910, Tokyo formally annexed the entire Peninsula. Korea regained its independence following Japan's surrender to the United States in 1945. After World War II, a democratic-based government (Republic of Korea, ROK) was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a communist-style government was installed in the north (Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK). During the Korean War (1950-53), US troops and UN forces fought alongside ROK soldiers to defend South Korea from a DPRK invasion supported by China and the Soviet Union. A 1953 armistice split the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. PARK Chung-hee took over leadership of the country in a 1961 coup. During his regime, from 1961 to 1979, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth, with per capita income rising to roughly 17 times the level of North Korea. South Korea held its first free presidential election under a revised democratic constitution in 1987, with former ROK Army general ROH Tae-woo winning a close race. In 1993, KIM Young-sam (1993-98) became the first civilian president of South Korea's new democratic era. President KIM Dae-jung (1998-2003) won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for his contributions to South Korean democracy and his "Sunshine" policy of engagement with North Korea. President PARK Geun-hye, daughter of former ROK President PARK Chung-hee, took office in February 2013 and is South Korea's first female leader. South Korea holds a non-permanent seat (2013-14) on the UN Security Council and will host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Serious tensions with North Korea have punctuated inter-Korean relations in recent years, including the North's attacks on a South Korean ship and island in 2010, nuclear and missile tests, and its temporary closure of the inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex in 2013.
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How big is South Korea compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.

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