South Korea vs North Korea: how the neighbours compare
| Indicator | South Korea | North Korea | Ranks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | |||
| Population | 51.7m2025 | 26.6m2025 | 29 · 56 |
| Area | 100,460 km²2024 | 120,540 km²2024 | 109 · 100 |
| Density | 530.22024 | 220.12024 | 23 · 63 |
| Urban share | 81.2%2025 | 64.2%2025 | 54 · 109 |
| Fertility | 0.752024 | 1.782024 | 216 · 120 |
| Aged 65+ | 20.3%2025 | 12.7%2025 | 36 · 78 |
| Economy | |||
| GDP | $1.9tn2025 | — | 13 · — |
| GDP per capita | $36,2272025 | — | 47 · — |
| GDP per capita, PPP | $63,1252025 | — | 35 · — |
| GDP growth | 1.0%2025 | — | 174 · — |
| Agriculture share | 1.5%2025 | — | 161 · — |
| Industry share | 34.3%2025 | — | 36 · — |
| Services share | 57.2%2025 | — | 105 · — |
| Prices & public finance | |||
| Inflation | 2.1%2025 | — | 119 · — |
| Tax revenue | 13.3%2024 | — | 96 · — |
| Military spending | 2.60%2025 | — | 38 · — |
| Trade & investment | |||
| Exports | 45.8%2025 | — | 63 · — |
| FDI inflows | 0.8%2025 | — | 148 · — |
| Labour | |||
| Unemployment | 2.7%2025 | 3.5%2025 | 159 · 128 |
| Aid, poverty & equality | |||
| Women in parliament | 20.3%2025 | 17.6%2025 | 122 · 138 |
| Education | |||
| Tertiary enrolment | 111.9%2024 | 26.7%2018 | 5 · 114 |
| Education spending | 5.4%2022 | — | 42 · — |
| Health | |||
| Life expectancy | 83.6 yrs2024 | 73.7 yrs2024 | 14 · 119 |
| Infant mortality | 2.32024 | 13.32024 | 181 · 94 |
| Health spending | 8.7%2024 | — | 50 · — |
| Physicians | 2.612022 | — | 71 · — |
| Digital & energy access | |||
| Internet users | 97.9%2024 | — | 13 · — |
| Fixed broadband | 47.82024 | — | 8 · — |
| Electricity access | 100.0%2024 | 61.4%2024 | 100 · 185 |
| Environment | |||
| CO₂ per person | 11.36 t2024 | 2.50 t2024 | 17 · 106 |
| Renewable energy | 3.6%2021 | 14.7%2021 | 171 · 125 |
| Forest cover | 64.4%2024 | 64.1%2024 | 23 · 24 |
Higher value in each row is highlighted; it is not always the better one (think inflation or emissions). Ranks are world positions.
Life expectancy
South KoreaNorth Korea
Population
South KoreaNorth Korea
Internet users
South KoreaNorth Korea
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
more head-to-heads