Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Colombia 11 times.
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Colombia’s coastline is 33% longer than South Korea’s.
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Colombia’s highest peak towers 3,780 m above South Korea’s.
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Colombia has 3% more people than South Korea.
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 11 times as densely populated as Colombia.
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 3.7 cm taller than in Colombia.
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 5.3 cm taller than in Colombia.
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 13 years older than in Colombia.
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Colombia have 0.9 more children on average than in South Korea.
Colombia: 1.63 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 10% in Colombia.
Colombia: 10.2% (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, Colombia 0.4.
Colombia: 0.4 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Colombia and South Korea are practically level.
Colombia: 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 Colombia’s.
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 2.8 times as much per person as Colombia.
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in South Korea (Gini 21.5 points higher).
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Colombia, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, South Korea 2.6%.
Colombia: 3.4% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Colombia’s.
Colombia: 38% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 4.9 times as much on health per person as Colombia.
Colombia: $644 (2024) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 5.7 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Colombia is 4.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 3% more doctors per person than Colombia.
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
25% of adults in Colombia are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia.
Colombia: 8% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Colombia and South Korea are practically level.
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 70% more alcohol than in Colombia.
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 34% more meat per person than Colombia.
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 304 kcal more food per person per day than Colombia.
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 560 more hours a year than in South Korea.
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 3.7 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 3.6 times as many tourists per resident as Colombia (2019).
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in South Korea have electricity, versus 99% in Colombia.
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, South Korea 173.
Colombia: 174 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 2 times as long as Colombia’s.
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 86% more passengers per resident than those from Colombia.
Colombia: 0.79 (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 53% of Colombia.
Colombia: 52.8% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 6.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Colombia: 77% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 39% more fine dust than in Colombia.
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 52 times as likely to be murdered in Colombia as in South Korea.
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Colombia are 2.3 times as deadly as in South Korea.
Colombia: 16.2 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia is on average 11.2 °C warmer than South Korea.
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 2.5 times as much rain as South Korea.
Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Colombia bigger than South Korea?
Colombia is larger. South Korea fits inside Colombia 11 times.
Which has more people, Colombia or South Korea?
Colombia has 3% more people than South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 5.7 years longer than in Colombia. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Colombia or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 3.7 cm taller than in Colombia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
