Compare
Colombia vs South Korea
How Colombia and South Korea compare on 39 measures, from 1789 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, South Korea was higher: 84.3 years against 77.7 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, South Korea was higher: $37,470 against $6,976
- Population · In 2023, Colombia was higher: 52.3 million people against 51.8 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, Colombia was higher: 3.2% of GDP against 2.6% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, South Korea was higher: 11.36 tonnes against 1.8 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyColombia: 77.7 years in 2023South Korea: 84.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityColombia: 1.2 per 100 live births in 2024South Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityColombia: 9.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterColombia: 73.9% in 2022South Korea: 99.3% in 2022
- DepressionColombia: 2.2% in 2017South Korea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide rateColombia: 5.5 per 100,000 people in 2017South Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationColombia: 52.3 million people in 2023South Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023
- Population growthColombia: 1.1% a year in 2023South Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateColombia: 1.65 births per woman in 2023South Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationColombia: 78.8% in 2025South Korea: 81.2% in 2025
- Median ageColombia: 31.6 years in 2023South Korea: 44.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overColombia: 9.4% in 2023South Korea: 18.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateColombia: 3 per 1,000 people in 2023South Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingColombia: 3.2% of GDP in 2025South Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsColombia: $13.7B in 2025South Korea: $48.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personColombia: $273 in 2025South Korea: $924 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingColombia: 9.3% of government spending in 2025South Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelColombia: 428,000 people in 2020South Korea: 569,000 people in 2020
- National powerColombia: 0.57% of world capability in 2022South Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersColombia: 1.7% of the labour force in 2020South Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsColombia: 22 million TIV in 2025South Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsColombia: 4 million TIV in 2020South Korea: 2.02 billion TIV in 2025
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, WHO/UNICEF, 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