Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Canada 156 times.
Canada: 15,634,400 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Canada’s coastline is 84 times as long as South Korea’s.
Canada: 202,080 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Canada’s highest peak towers 4,009 m above South Korea’s.
Canada: 5,959 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Korea has 24% more people than Canada.
Canada: 41.7 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 112 times as densely populated as Canada.
Canada: 5 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Canada are 3.2 cm taller than in South Korea.
Canada: 178.8 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Canada are 1.5 cm taller than in South Korea.
Canada: 164.7 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 4.1 years older than in Canada.
Canada: 40.3 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Canada have 0.5 more children on average than in South Korea.
Canada: 1.25 children per woman (2024) · South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
South Korea and Canada are practically level.
Canada: 20.3% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Canada has produced 5.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Korea 0.6.
Canada: 5.3 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Canada has 2 official languages, South Korea 1.
Canada: 2 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Canada’s economy is 24% larger than South Korea’s.
Canada: $2.32 trillion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Canada produces 6% more per person than South Korea.
Canada: Int$66,746 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Korea than in Canada (Gini 1.4 points higher).
Canada: 31.5 (2022) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.9% in Canada, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Canada: 6.9% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Canada 1.3%.
Canada: 1.3% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Canada’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× South Korea’s.
Canada: 83% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Canada spends 2 times as much on health per person as South Korea.
Canada: $6,378 (2024) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 1.5 years longer than in Canada.
Canada: 82.1 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Canada is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Canada: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Canada has 8% more doctors per person than South Korea.
Canada: 2.8 per 1,000 (2023) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Canada are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Canada: 27.1% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 11% in Canada.
Canada: 11.2% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Canada rate their lives 0.70 points higher than in South Korea.
Canada: 6.74 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Canada drink 12% more alcohol than in South Korea.
Canada: 9.2 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Canada has 13% more meat per person than South Korea.
Canada: 94.8 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Canada has 160 kcal more food per person per day than South Korea.
Canada: 3,590 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Korea put in 179 more hours a year than in Canada.
Canada: 1,731 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Canada went to school 1.1 years longer than in South Korea.
Canada: 13.9 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Canada welcomed 53% more tourists per resident than South Korea (2019).
Canada: 0.48 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 94% in Canada.
Canada: 94% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Canada and South Korea are practically level.
Canada: 100% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in Canada live in cities, versus 81% in South Korea.
Canada: 83% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Canada 94.
Canada: 94 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Canada’s railway network is 11 times as long as South Korea’s.
Canada: 48,150 km (2021) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Canada fly 44% more passengers per resident than those from South Korea.
Canada: 2.13 (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 39% of Canada.
Canada: 39.5% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Canada emits 19% more CO₂ than someone in South Korea.
Canada: 13.4 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
64% of Canada’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Canada: 63.9% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 3 times as much fine dust as in Canada.
Canada: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.1 times as likely to be murdered in Canada as in South Korea.
Canada: 2 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Korea are 47% deadlier than in Canada.
Canada: 4.7 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Korea is on average 16.1 °C warmer than Canada.
Canada: -3°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 85% more rain than Canada.
Canada: 683 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Canada bigger than South Korea?
Canada is larger. South Korea fits inside Canada 156 times.
Which has more people, Canada or South Korea?
South Korea has 24% more people than Canada (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Canada or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 1.5 years longer than in Canada. Life expectancy at birth is 82.1 years in Canada and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Canada or South Korea?
Men in Canada are 3.2 cm taller than in South Korea (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
