Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Syria, you would:
Health
live 8.7 years longer
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 74 years (73 years for men, 76 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 83.1% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 27.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Korea, that number is 4.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 17.4 times more money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $2,900 as of 2021, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $50,600 as of 2023.
be 80.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 2.6% as of 2023.
be 82.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
pay a 72.7% higher top tax rate
Syria has a top tax rate of 22.0% as of 2016. In South Korea, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 73.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 30.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In South Korea, 8.0 women do as of 2020.
be 13.4% more likely to be literate
In Syria, the literacy rate is 86.4% as of 2015. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 81.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 15.9 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 68.1% fewer children
In Syria, there are approximately 21.7 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 12.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Syria, approximately 89% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In South Korea, 100% of the population do as of 2022.
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In South Korea, about 98.0% do as of 2021.
Geography
see 12.5 times more coastline
Syria has a total of 193 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, Ministry of Finance, Syria, National Tax Service, South Korea.
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.