Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Ecuador 2.6 times.
Ecuador: 256,370 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 8% longer than Ecuador’s.
Ecuador: 2,237 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ecuador’s highest peak towers 4,317 m above South Korea’s.
Ecuador: 6,267 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 2.8 times as many people as Ecuador.
Ecuador: 18.3 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 7.2 times as densely populated as Ecuador.
Ecuador: 74 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 8.2 cm taller than in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 167.3 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 8.0 cm taller than in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 155.3 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 16 years older than in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 28.4 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ecuador have 1.1 more children on average than in South Korea.
Ecuador: 1.81 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 8.6% in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 8.6% (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, Ecuador 0.0.
Ecuador: 0 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ecuador and South Korea are practically level.
Ecuador: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 14 times the size of Ecuador’s.
Ecuador: $130 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 3.8 times as much per person as Ecuador.
Ecuador: Int$16,757 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ecuador than in South Korea (Gini 13 points higher).
Ecuador: 45.9 (2025) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.3% in Ecuador, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Ecuador: 3.3% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea and Ecuador are practically level.
Ecuador: 2.2% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Ecuador’s.
Ecuador: 43% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 6.2 times as much on health per person as Ecuador.
Ecuador: $509 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 6.1 years longer than in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 77.6 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ecuador is 4.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Ecuador: 10.9 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 13% more doctors per person than Ecuador.
Ecuador: 2.3 per 1,000 (2020) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in Ecuador are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Ecuador: 28.7% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 10% in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 10.1% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ecuador rate their lives 0.10 points higher than in South Korea.
Ecuador: 6.14 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 2.6 times as much alcohol as in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 3.2 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 49% more meat per person than Ecuador.
Ecuador: 56.2 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 809 kcal more food per person per day than Ecuador.
Ecuador: 2,621 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Korea put in 316 more hours a year than in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 1,594 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 3.8 years longer than in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 9 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ecuador: no data · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 77% in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 77% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in South Korea have electricity, versus 99% in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 98.5% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 63% in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 63% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ecuador 102.
Ecuador: 102 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 4.5 times as long as Ecuador’s.
Ecuador: 965 km (2022) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 5.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ecuador.
Ecuador: 0.25 (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 50% of Ecuador.
Ecuador: 49.5% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 4.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 2.5 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
79% of Ecuador’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Ecuador: 79.4% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 19% more fine dust than in Ecuador.
Ecuador: 17.7 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 96 times as likely to be murdered in Ecuador as in South Korea.
Ecuador: 45.7 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ecuador are 3.4 times as deadly as in South Korea.
Ecuador: 23.4 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ecuador is on average 8.1 °C warmer than South Korea.
Ecuador: 21.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ecuador gets 2.5 times as much rain as South Korea.
Ecuador: 3,204 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ecuador bigger than South Korea?
Ecuador is larger. South Korea fits inside Ecuador 2.6 times.
Which has more people, Ecuador or South Korea?
South Korea has 2.8 times as many people as Ecuador (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ecuador or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 6.1 years longer than in Ecuador. Life expectancy at birth is 77.6 years in Ecuador and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Ecuador or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 8.2 cm taller than in Ecuador (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
