Country page · East Asia & Pacific
If you were born in South Korea
1 in 552 babies · 0.18% of births · about 242,917 a year
Right now, about 0.18% of the world's babies are born in South Korea — 1 in 552, or roughly 242,917 a year and 666 a day. Life expectancy there is 83.6 years.
How the 1 in 552 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: South Korea has about 242,917 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.18% — 1 in 552. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in South Korea, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 86.6 · men 80.8 | 83.6 years | 8th highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 2.8 / 1,000 | 0.3% | 15th lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 2.3 / 1,000 | 0.2% | 13th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 4 | 20th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 0.75 | 1st lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 16.5 years | 24th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 111.9% | 4th highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $63,125 | 25th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 32.90 | 107th highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 81.2% | 35th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 5.1% | 45th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 97.9% | 10th highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 0.5 | 11th lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 33.7% | 100th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | — | — |
| People who smoke | 18.6% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
South Korea compared with East Asia & Pacific
Life expectancy in South Korea is 83.6 years, against a East Asia & Pacific average of 74.8. The under-5 death rate is 0.3%, versus 1.8% across the region. Income per person is $63,125, against $34,115 regionally; expected schooling is 16.5 years against 13.2. 81.2% of people live in cities, against 59.6% in the region.
| Indicator | South Korea | East Asia & Pacific | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 83.6 years old | 74.8 years old | 73.3 years old |
| Under-5 deaths | 0.3% | 1.8% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $63,125 | $34,115 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 16.5 years | 13.2 years | 13.0 years |
| People in cities | 81.2% | 59.6% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 83.6 years on average, with roughly 2.8 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 16.5 years of school, and income per person is around $63,125. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in South Korea
The game draws South Korea in about 1 of every 552 births. From there the life runs year by year: 83.6 years of life expectancy on average, a 0.3% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $63,125 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Papua New Guinea — 1 in 513
- Chance of being born in Australia — 1 in 454
- Chance of being born in North Korea — 1 in 393
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of being born in South Korea?
What is life expectancy in South Korea?
How many babies are born in South Korea each year?
Is South Korea a good country to be born in, in the game?
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated Oct 24, 2026.