Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Bangladesh is 47% bigger than South Korea.
Bangladesh: 147,570 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 4.2 times as long as Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 580 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Korea’s highest peak towers 890 m above Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 1,060 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Bangladesh has 3.4 times as many people as South Korea.
Bangladesh: 176 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Bangladesh is 2.6 times as densely populated as South Korea.
Bangladesh: 1,352 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 10.4 cm taller than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 165.1 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 10.8 cm taller than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 152.4 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 19 years older than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 25.3 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Bangladesh have 1.4 more children on average than in South Korea.
Bangladesh: 2.14 children per woman (2024) · South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 6.7% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 6.7% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Korea has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Bangladesh 0.1.
Bangladesh: 0.1 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Bangladesh and South Korea are practically level.
Bangladesh: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 4.1 times the size of Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: $456 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 6.2 times as much per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: Int$10,154 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Korea than in Bangladesh (Gini 2 points higher).
Bangladesh: 30.9 (2022) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Bangladesh, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Bangladesh: 3.8% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Bangladesh 0.9%.
Bangladesh: 0.9% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 26% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 59 times as much on health per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: $53 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 8.7 years longer than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 74.9 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Bangladesh is 11 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Bangladesh: 24.4 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 3.6 times as many doctors per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.7 per 1,000 (2023) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
7.5% of adults in South Korea are obese, versus 5.7% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 5.7% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
32% of adults in Bangladesh smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
Bangladesh: 32% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Korea rate their lives 1.72 points higher than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 4.32 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 2,838 times as much alcohol as in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.0029 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 19 times as much meat per person as Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 4.5 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 843 kcal more food per person per day than Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2,588 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Bangladesh put in 473 more hours a year than in South Korea.
Bangladesh: 2,383 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 5.9 years longer than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 6.8 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 162 times as many tourists per resident as Bangladesh (2019).
Bangladesh: 0 (2019) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 53% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 53% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in South Korea have electricity, versus 100% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 99.5% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 33% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 33% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Bangladesh 108.
Bangladesh: 108 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 50% longer than Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 2,877 km (2019) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 39 times as many passengers per resident as those from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.04 (2023) · South Korea: 1.48 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 14% of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 14.5% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 18 times as much CO₂ as someone in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.6 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
10% of South Korea’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.1% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2.1% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Bangladesh carries 3.1 times as much fine dust as in South Korea.
Bangladesh: 65 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.9 times as likely to be murdered in Bangladesh as in South Korea.
Bangladesh: 2.3 per 100k (2018) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Bangladesh are 2.7 times as deadly as in South Korea.
Bangladesh: 18.6 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Bangladesh is on average 12.6 °C warmer than South Korea.
Bangladesh: 25.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Bangladesh gets 66% more rain than South Korea.
Bangladesh: 2,096 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Bangladesh bigger than South Korea?
Bangladesh is larger. Bangladesh is 47% bigger than South Korea.
Which has more people, Bangladesh or South Korea?
Bangladesh has 3.4 times as many people as South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bangladesh or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 8.7 years longer than in Bangladesh. Life expectancy at birth is 74.9 years in Bangladesh and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Bangladesh or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 10.4 cm taller than in Bangladesh (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
