Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Ethiopia 11 times.
Ethiopia: 1,136,240 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ethiopia’s highest peak towers 2,600 m above South Korea’s.
Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ethiopia has 2.6 times as many people as South Korea.
Ethiopia: 135 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 4.4 times as densely populated as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 120 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 6.7 cm taller than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 6.1 cm taller than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 26 years older than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ethiopia have 3.2 more children on average than in South Korea.
Ethiopia: 3.91 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 3.3% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (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, Ethiopia 0.1.
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ethiopia and South Korea are practically level.
Ethiopia: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 15 times the size of Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 17 times as much per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Korea than in Ethiopia (Gini 1.8 points higher).
Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.3% in Ethiopia, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Ethiopia 0.7%.
Ethiopia: 0.7% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 26% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 90 times as much on health per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: $35 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 16 years longer than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ethiopia is 15 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 18 times as many doctors per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.1 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 2.5% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 5.2% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 5.2% (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 2.06 points higher than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 3.6 times as much alcohol as in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 12 times as much meat per person as Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 872 kcal more food per person per day than Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Korea put in 311 more hours a year than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 10 years longer than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 78 times as many tourists per resident as Ethiopia (2019).
Ethiopia: 0 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 22% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 22% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in South Korea have electricity, versus 57% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 24% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ethiopia 65.
Ethiopia: 65 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 5.7 times as long as Ethiopia’s.
Ethiopia: 754 km (2018) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 13 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.11 (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 15% of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 14.9% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 84 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Ethiopia: 100% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 4% more fine dust than in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Ethiopia: no data · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ethiopia are 2.6 times as deadly as in South Korea.
Ethiopia: 17.7 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ethiopia is on average 10.8 °C warmer than South Korea.
Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 31% more rain than Ethiopia.
Ethiopia: 962 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ethiopia bigger than South Korea?
Ethiopia is larger. South Korea fits inside Ethiopia 11 times.
Which has more people, Ethiopia or South Korea?
Ethiopia has 2.6 times as many people as South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 16 years longer than in Ethiopia. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Ethiopia and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Ethiopia or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 6.7 cm taller than in Ethiopia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
