Compare countries
China vs. South Korea
How China and South Korea compare on income per person, population, life expectancy, internet use and access to electricity, each next to the world figure and linked to its chart, where you'll find its source, its date and every country's numbers.
The biggest differences
- The population is 27.2 times as large in China (1.41B people) as in South Korea (51.7M).
- GDP per person is 2.7 times as high in South Korea ($36,239) as in China ($13,293).
- Life expectancy at birth is 5.6 years longer in South Korea (83.6 years) than in China (78).
The two are about the same on the share of people with electricity.
Side by side
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How rich is each country, per person?
GDP per person, US dollars · 2024
- China
- $13,293
- South Korea
- $36,239
- World
- $13,717
-
How many people live in each country?
People · 2025
- China
- 1.41B people
- South Korea
- 51.7M people
- World
- 8.22B people
-
How long do people live in each country?
Life expectancy at birth, years · 2024
- China
- 78 years
- South Korea
- 83.6 years
- World
- 73.5 years
-
What share of people use the internet in each country?
People using the internet, % of population · 2024
- China
- 92%
- South Korea
- 97.9%
- World
- 71.2%
-
What share of people have electricity in each country?
People with access to electricity, % of population · 2024
- China
- 100%
- South Korea
- 100%
- World
- 91.9%
Figures are from the World Bank's World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), for the newest year most countries have reported; many are estimates, and they are revised as new data comes in. GDP per person is in US dollars at each year's exchange rates, not adjusted for differences in prices. Two figures are called about the same when GDP or population differ by less than 5%, life expectancy by less than a year, or a share by less than 2 percentage points.