Compare
France vs South Korea
How France 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 83.3 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, France was higher: $39,920 against $37,470
- Population · In 2023, France was higher: 66.4 million people against 51.8 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, South Korea was higher: 2.6% of GDP against 2.03% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, South Korea was higher: 11.36 tonnes against 4 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyFrance: 83.3 years in 2023South Korea: 84.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityFrance: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024South Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityFrance: 3.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterFrance: 99.7% in 2022South Korea: 99.3% in 2022
- DepressionFrance: 4.25% in 2017South Korea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide rateFrance: 12.4 per 100,000 people in 2017South Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationFrance: 66.4 million people in 2023South Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023
- Population growthFrance: 0.17% a year in 2023South Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateFrance: 1.64 births per woman in 2023South Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationFrance: 78.8% in 2025South Korea: 81.2% in 2025
- Median ageFrance: 41.8 years in 2023South Korea: 44.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overFrance: 21.8% in 2023South Korea: 18.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateFrance: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023South Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingFrance: 2.03% of GDP in 2025South Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsFrance: $64.5B in 2025South Korea: $48.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personFrance: $1,021 in 2025South Korea: $924 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingFrance: 3.5% of government spending in 2025South Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelFrance: 304,000 people in 2020South Korea: 569,000 people in 2020
- National powerFrance: 1.09% of world capability in 2022South Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersFrance: 1% of the labour force in 2020South Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsFrance: 236 million TIV in 2025South Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsFrance: 3.37 billion TIV in 2025South 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, 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