Compare
Poland vs South Korea
How Poland 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 78.6 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, South Korea was higher: $37,470 against $18,710
- Population · In 2023, South Korea was higher: 51.8 million people against 38.8 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, Poland was higher: 4.5% of GDP against 2.6% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, South Korea was higher: 11.36 tonnes against 7.55 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyPoland: 78.6 years in 2023South Korea: 84.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityPoland: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024South Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityPoland: 3.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterPoland: 88.9% in 2022South Korea: 99.3% in 2022
- DepressionPoland: 2.25% in 2017South Korea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide ratePoland: 14 per 100,000 people in 2017South Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationPoland: 38.8 million people in 2023South Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023
- Population growthPoland: -0.26% a year in 2023South Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility ratePoland: 1.3 births per woman in 2023South Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationPoland: 60.1% in 2025South Korea: 81.2% in 2025
- Median agePoland: 41.3 years in 2023South Korea: 44.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overPoland: 19.6% in 2023South Korea: 18.3% in 2023
- Net migration ratePoland: -0.2 per 1,000 people in 2023South Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingPoland: 4.5% of GDP in 2025South Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsPoland: $42.5B in 2025South Korea: $48.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personPoland: $1,219 in 2025South Korea: $924 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingPoland: 9% of government spending in 2025South Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelPoland: 189,000 people in 2020South Korea: 569,000 people in 2020
- National powerPoland: 0.52% of world capability in 2022South Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersPoland: 1.04% of the labour force in 2020South Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsPoland: 2.17 billion TIV in 2025South Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsPoland: 59 million 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, 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