Compare
China vs South Korea
How China and South Korea compare on 38 measures, from 1789 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, South Korea was higher: 84.3 years against 78 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, South Korea was higher: $37,470 against $13,790
- Population · In 2023, China was higher: 1.42 billion people against 51.8 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, South Korea was higher: 2.6% of GDP against 1.73% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, South Korea was higher: 11.36 tonnes against 9.32 tonnes
Every measure
ChinaSouth Korea
| Measure | China | South Korea | Over the years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | |||
| Life expectancyyears · 2023 | 78 | 84.3 | |
| Child mortalitydeaths before age 5 per 100 live births · 2024 | 0.6 | 0.3 | |
| Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births · 2023 | 5.1 | 2.1 | |
| Depression% of people · 2017 | 3.31 | 3.17 | |
| Suicide ratedeaths per 100,000 people · 2017 | 7.2 | 20.8 | |
| People | |||
| Populationpeople · 2023 | 1.42 billion | 51.8 million | |
| Population growth% a year · 2023 | -0.24 | -0.04 | |
| Fertility ratebirths per woman · 2023 | 1 | 0.72 | |
| Urban population% of people · 2025 | 66.3 | 81.2 | |
| Median ageyears · 2023 | 39.1 | 44.5 | |
| People aged 65 and over% of people · 2023 | 14.3 | 18.3 | |
| Net migration rateper 1,000 people · 2023 | -0.4 | 1.7 | |
| Economy | |||
| GDP per personUS dollars at 2015 prices · 2025 | $13,790 | $37,470 | |
| GDP growth% a year · 2025 | 5 | 1.1 | |
| Inflation% a year · 2025 | 0.1 | 2.1 | |
| Government debt% of GDP · 2025 | 98.6 | 49.62024 | |
| Education | |||
| Learning-adjusted schoolingyears · 2020 | 9.3 | 11.7 | |
| Adult literacy% of adults · 2020 | 96.7 | 982008 | |
| Girls in primary school% of girls of primary-school age · 2017 | 88.41997 | 97.2 | |
| Politics | |||
| Electoral democracyindex, 0 to 1 · 2025 | 0.07 | 0.82 | |
| Human rightsindex, 0 to 1 · 2025 | 0.18 | 0.91 | |
| Conflict | |||
| Deaths in conflictsdeaths a year · 2022 | 0 | 0 | |
| Military | |||
| Military spending% of GDP · 2025 | 1.73 | 2.6 | |
| Military spending in US dollarsUS dollars at 2024 prices · 2025 | $335B | $48.9B | |
| Military spending per personUS dollars per person · 2025 | $237 | $924 | |
| Military share of state spending% of government spending · 2025 | 5.1 | 10.8 | |
| Armed forces personnelpeople · 2020 | 2.54 million | 569,000 | |
| National power% of world capability · 2022 | 23.41 | 2 | |
| Armed forces, share of workers% of the labour force · 2020 | 0.33 | 2.01 | |
| Arms importsSIPRI trend-indicator values · 2025 | 207 million | 222 million | |
| Arms exportsSIPRI trend-indicator values · 2025 | 880 million | 2.02 billion | |
| Climate | |||
| Temperature°C · 2025 | 8.3 | 13.5 | |
| Days above 35 °Cdays a year · 2014 | 5.1 | 0 | |
| Tropical nightsnights a year · 2014 | 41.5 | 68.9 | |
| Technology and environment | |||
| CO₂ per persontonnes per person · 2024 | 9.32 | 11.36 | |
| Internet users% of people · 2025 | 91.6 | 97.92024 | |
| Access to electricity% of people · 2024 | 100 | 100 | |
| Forest area% of land · 2024 | 24 | 64.4 | |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, IHME, World Bank, IMF, UNESCO, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, EDGAR, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time