Compare
Mexico vs South Korea
How Mexico 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 75.1 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, South Korea was higher: $37,470 against $10,260
- Population · In 2023, Mexico was higher: 130 million people against 51.8 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, South Korea was higher: 2.6% of GDP against 0.74% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, South Korea was higher: 11.36 tonnes against 3.64 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyMexico: 75.1 years in 2023South Korea: 84.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityMexico: 1.3 per 100 live births in 2024South Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityMexico: 10.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterMexico: 43% in 2022South Korea: 99.3% in 2022
- DepressionMexico: 2.79% in 2017South Korea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide rateMexico: 5.9 per 100,000 people in 2017South Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationMexico: 130 million people in 2023South Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023
- Population growthMexico: 0.88% a year in 2023South Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateMexico: 1.91 births per woman in 2023South Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationMexico: 80% in 2025South Korea: 81.2% in 2025
- Median ageMexico: 28.9 years in 2023South Korea: 44.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overMexico: 8% in 2023South Korea: 18.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateMexico: -0.8 per 1,000 people in 2023South Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingMexico: 0.74% of GDP in 2025South Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsMexico: $13.8B in 2025South Korea: $48.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personMexico: $104 in 2025South Korea: $924 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingMexico: 2.5% of government spending in 2025South Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelMexico: 341,000 people in 2020South Korea: 569,000 people in 2020
- National powerMexico: 1.14% of world capability in 2022South Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersMexico: 0.64% of the labour force in 2020South Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsMexico: 9 million TIV in 2025South Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsMexico: 1 million TIV in 2019South 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