Compare
Israel vs South Korea
How Israel 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 82.4 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, Israel was higher: $42,600 against $37,470
- Population · In 2023, South Korea was higher: 51.8 million people against 9.26 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, Israel was higher: 7.81% of GDP against 2.6% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, South Korea was higher: 11.36 tonnes against 5.77 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyIsrael: 82.4 years in 2023South Korea: 84.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIsrael: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024South Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIsrael: 2.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterIsrael: 99.5% in 2022South Korea: 99.3% in 2022
- DepressionIsrael: 3.83% in 2017South Korea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide rateIsrael: 5.7 per 100,000 people in 2017South Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIsrael: 9.26 million people in 2023South Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023
- Population growthIsrael: 1.42% a year in 2023South Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIsrael: 2.83 births per woman in 2023South Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIsrael: 91.6% in 2025South Korea: 81.2% in 2025
- Median ageIsrael: 29.2 years in 2023South Korea: 44.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIsrael: 12.4% in 2023South Korea: 18.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateIsrael: 1.1 per 1,000 people in 2023South Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIsrael: 7.81% of GDP in 2025South Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsIsrael: $43.7B in 2025South Korea: $48.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personIsrael: $5,108 in 2025South Korea: $924 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingIsrael: 17.8% of government spending in 2025South Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelIsrael: 178,000 people in 2020South Korea: 569,000 people in 2020
- National powerIsrael: 0.38% of world capability in 2022South Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIsrael: 4.23% of the labour force in 2020South Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIsrael: 537 million TIV in 2025South Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIsrael: 2.62 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, UNESCO, 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