Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Brazil 85 times.
Brazil: 8,510,420 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Brazil’s coastline is 3.1 times as long as South Korea’s.
Brazil: 7,491 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Brazil’s highest peak towers 1,044 m above South Korea’s.
Brazil: 2,994 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Brazil has 4.1 times as many people as South Korea.
Brazil: 213 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 21 times as densely populated as Brazil.
Brazil: 25 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Brazil and South Korea are practically level.
Brazil: 175.7 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 0.8 cm taller than in Brazil.
Brazil: 162.4 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 11 years older than in Brazil.
Brazil: 33.9 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Brazil have 0.9 more children on average than in South Korea.
Brazil: 1.61 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 11% in Brazil.
Brazil: 11.5% (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, Brazil 0.0.
Brazil: 0 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Brazil and South Korea are practically level.
Brazil: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Brazil’s economy is 22% larger than South Korea’s.
Brazil: $2.28 trillion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 2.7 times as much per person as Brazil.
Brazil: Int$23,433 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Brazil than in South Korea (Gini 17.4 points higher).
Brazil: 50.3 (2024) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Brazil, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Brazil: 6% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Brazil 1.0%.
Brazil: 1% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Brazil’s.
Brazil: 46% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 3.1 times as much on health per person as Brazil.
Brazil: $1,010 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 7.6 years longer than in Brazil.
Brazil: 76 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Brazil is 5.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Brazil: 12.3 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 11% more doctors per person than Brazil.
Brazil: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Brazil are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Brazil: 30.9% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 12% in Brazil.
Brazil: 11.9% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Brazil rate their lives 0.59 points higher than in South Korea.
Brazil: 6.63 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Brazil drink 25% more alcohol than in South Korea.
Brazil: 10.4 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Brazil has 24% more meat per person than South Korea.
Brazil: 104.6 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea and Brazil are practically level.
Brazil: 3,423 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Brazil put in 83 more hours a year than in South Korea.
Brazil: 1,994 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 4.3 years longer than in Brazil.
Brazil: 8.4 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 9.9 times as many tourists per resident as Brazil (2019).
Brazil: 0.03 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 84% in Brazil.
Brazil: 84% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
South Korea and Brazil are practically level.
Brazil: 99.8% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Brazil live in cities, versus 81% in South Korea.
Brazil: 88% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Brazil 102.
Brazil: 102 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Brazil’s railway network is 6.9 times as long as South Korea’s.
Brazil: 29,850 km (2014) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 3.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Brazil.
Brazil: 0.45 (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 59% of Brazil.
Brazil: 59% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Brazil.
Brazil: 2.3 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
87% of Brazil’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Brazil: 86.6% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 37% more fine dust than in Brazil.
Brazil: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 40 times as likely to be murdered in Brazil as in South Korea.
Brazil: 19.3 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Brazil are 2.3 times as deadly as in South Korea.
Brazil: 15.7 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Brazil is on average 12.2 °C warmer than South Korea.
Brazil: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Brazil gets 31% more rain than South Korea.
Brazil: 1,661 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Brazil bigger than South Korea?
Brazil is larger. South Korea fits inside Brazil 85 times.
Which has more people, Brazil or South Korea?
Brazil has 4.1 times as many people as South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Brazil or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 7.6 years longer than in Brazil. Life expectancy at birth is 76.0 years in Brazil and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Brazil or South Korea?
Brazil and South Korea are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
