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🇰🇷 South Korea
Republic of Korea
KOR KR ₩ South Korean won (KRW)
Every statistic we track for South Korea — 160 indicators, each with its latest value and world rank. Open the interactive profile →
$68,624
82.8 yrs
6.04
0.74
Most similar countries
By profile across every shared indicator (global percentiles).
🇯🇵 Japan · 80% 🇹🇼 Taiwan · 80% 🇸🇽 Sint Maarten · 75% 🇫🇷 France · 75% 🇪🇸 Spain · 75%
More Eastern Asia countries
Compare South Korea with its neighbours across the same 160 indicators.
🇨🇳 China 🇭🇰 Hong Kong 🇯🇵 Japan 🇲🇴 Macau 🇲🇳 Mongolia 🇰🇵 North Korea 🇹🇼 Taiwan
All indicators
📈 Economy
👥 Demographics
| Fertility Rate (WB) | 0.8 | #216/217 | 2024 |
| Gender Inequality Index | 0 | #161/172 | 2023 |
| Median Age | 46.2 | #16/235 | 2026 |
| Population | 48.8 | #27/229 | 2013 |
| Population | 51.6 | #30/191 | 2026 |
| Population Density | 521.5 | #28/235 | 2026 |
| Refugees by Country of Origin | 117 | #149/195 | 2025 |
| Urban Population | 81.2% | #52/213 | 2024 |
🌐 Connectivity
| Access to Electricity | 100% | #100/214 | 2024 |
| Internet Users | 97.9% | #13/182 | 2024 |
| Mobile Subscriptions | 148.7 | #29/209 | 2022 |
🫀 Health
🎓 Education
| ICILS Computational Thinking, Grade 8 | 536.8 | #2/21 | 2023 |
| ICILS Computer and Information Literacy, Grade 8 | 540.4 | #1/32 | 2023 |
| Mean Years of Schooling | 13.7 | #2/146 | 2020 |
| PISA Mathematics Score | 527 | #6/79 | 2022 |
| PISA Reading Score | 515 | #4/79 | 2022 |
| PISA Science Score | 528 | #5/79 | 2022 |
| TIMSS Mathematics, Grade 4 | 594.4 | #4/55 | 2023 |
| TIMSS Mathematics, Grade 8 | 596 | #3/41 | 2023 |
| TIMSS Science, Grade 4 | 583.3 | #2/55 | 2023 |
| TIMSS Science, Grade 8 | 545.4 | #4/41 | 2023 |
🌱 Environment
| CO₂ per Capita (WB) | 11.4 | #17/203 | 2024 |
| Energy Use per Person | 5,337 | #14/149 | 2023 |
| Environmental Performance Index | 50.6 | #58/179 | 2024 |
| Renewable Electricity | 9.7% | #149/195 | 2024 |
🏛️ Governance
| Civil Liberties (V-Dem) | 0.9 | #28/179 | 2025 |
| Clean Elections (V-Dem) | 0.9 | #28/179 | 2025 |
| Control of Corruption (QoG) | 0.9 | #39/192 | 2024 |
| Corruption Perceptions Index | 64 | #31/179 | 2024 |
| Corruption Perceptions Index (QoG) | 64 | #30/177 | 2024 |
| Deliberative Democracy (V-Dem) | 0.8 | #16/179 | 2025 |
| Egalitarian Democracy (V-Dem) | 0.7 | #20/179 | 2025 |
| Electoral Democracy (V-Dem) | 0.8 | #25/179 | 2025 |
| Freedom House Status (QoG) | 1 | #149/193 | 2024 |
| Freedom in the World Score | 83 | #61/196 | 2024 |
| Freedom of Expression (V-Dem) | 0.9 | #12/179 | 2025 |
| Gender Equality (V-Dem) | 0.9 | #38/179 | 2025 |
| Government Effectiveness (QoG) | 1.5 | #20/192 | 2024 |
| Judicial Constraints on Executive (V-Dem) | 0.9 | #36/179 | 2025 |
| Liberal Democracy (V-Dem) | 0.7 | #22/179 | 2025 |
| Military Spending | 2.6% | #34/150 | 2025 |
| Participatory Democracy (V-Dem) | 0.6 | #27/179 | 2025 |
| Political Corruption (V-Dem) | 0.2 | #145/179 | 2025 |
| Press Freedom (RSF) (QoG) | 64.9 | #62/173 | 2024 |
| Rule of Law (V-Dem) | 0.9 | #31/179 | 2025 |
| Satisfaction with Democracy | 43.7% | #34/53 | 2011–2024 |
| Voice & Accountability (QoG) | 0.8 | #46/192 | 2024 |
📰 Media & news
| News Avoidance (Digital News Report) | 29% | #44/48 | 2026 |
| Paying for Online News (Digital News Report) | 19% | #7/42 | 2026 |
| Press Freedom Index | 69.1 | #47/177 | 2026 |
| Social Media as News Source (Digital News Report) | 47% | #34/48 | 2026 |
| Trust in News (Digital News Report) | 30% | #32/48 | 2026 |
| Trust in the News Media (ISSP) | 48.4% | #9/28 | 2020 |
🛡️ Safety
| Global Peace Index | 1.7 | #120/160 | 2025 |
| Homicide Rate | 0.8 | #174/204 | 2023 |
| Road Traffic Deaths | 6.9 | #148/195 | 2021 |
⚠️ Risk & resilience
| Climate Seen as a Threat | 97.1% | #2/142 | 2023 |
| Confident Can Protect Family | 48.2% | #64/142 | 2023 |
| Disaster Exposure (WRI) | 9.8 | #36/193 | 2026 |
| Experienced a Disaster | 25.4% | #74/142 | 2023 |
| Experienced Discrimination (Skin Colour) | 6.4% | #71/139 | 2023 |
| INFORM Risk Index | 2 | #173/191 | 2025 |
| Resilience to Risk (WRP) | 57.8 | #43/141 | 2023 |
| World Risk Index | 10.2 | #55/193 | 2026 |
| Worry About Violent Crime | 86.4% | #8/142 | 2023 |
😊 Wellbeing
| Happiness (Cantril Ladder) | 6 | #67/147 | 2025 |
| Happiness Driver: Freedom | 0.8 | #102/146 | 2025 |
| Happiness Driver: GDP | 1.9 | #24/147 | 2025 |
| Happiness Driver: Generosity | 0.1 | #90/147 | 2025 |
| Happiness Driver: Healthy Life Expectancy | 1 | #6/146 | 2025 |
| Happiness Driver: Low Corruption | 0.1 | #55/147 | 2025 |
| Happiness Driver: Social Support | 1.2 | #84/147 | 2025 |
| Human Development Index | 0.9 | #20/193 | 2023 |
🧭 Attitudes & values
| Attended a Demonstration | 10.8% | #76/151 | 2017 |
| Believe Vaccines Are Effective | 70% | #121/143 | 2018 |
| Believe Vaccines Are Safe | 48.7% | #132/143 | 2018 |
| Individualism | 18 | #54/65 | 2010 |
| Interpersonal Trust (ISSP) | 31.9% | #12/27 | 2020 |
| Left–Right Self-placement | 5.2 | #38/53 | 2011–2024 |
| Long-term Orientation | 75 | #6/26 | 2010 |
| Masculinity | 39 | #51/65 | 2010 |
| Power Distance | 60 | #34/65 | 2010 |
| Secular Values | 0.6 | #2/64 | 2022 |
| Self-Expression Values | 0.5 | #24/64 | 2022 |
| Signed a Petition | 31.3% | #25/121 | 2017 |
| Trade Union Membership | 6.6% | #84/120 | 2017 |
| Trust in government | 4.2 | #88/123 | 2017 |
| Trust in parliament | 3.6 | #136/151 | 2017 |
| Trust in political parties | 3.4 | #79/120 | 2017 |
| Trust in Science | 90% | #16/143 | 2018 |
| Trust in Scientists | 80.4% | #35/143 | 2018 |
| Trust in the legal system | 5 | #77/153 | 2017 |
| Uncertainty Avoidance | 85 | #21/65 | 2010 |
| Voting Makes a Difference | 67.5% | #31/54 | 2011–2024 |
| Who Is in Power Makes a Difference | 64.7% | #35/51 | 2011–2021 |
Latest available period per indicator. The rank counts down from the highest value, whatever that means for the series: on child mortality or extreme poverty the country at #1 is the worst in the world, not the best. Sources are credited on each indicator page.