Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Greece is 31% bigger than South Korea.
Greece: 131,960 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Greece’s coastline is 5.7 times as long as South Korea’s.
Greece: 13,676 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Greece’s highest peak towers 967 m above South Korea’s.
Greece: 2,917 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 5 times as many people as Greece.
Greece: 10.4 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 6.6 times as densely populated as Greece.
Greece: 81 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Greece are 3.7 cm taller than in South Korea.
Greece: 179.3 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Greece are 2.6 cm taller than in South Korea.
Greece: 165.8 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Greece is 1.3 years older than in South Korea.
Greece: 45.7 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Greece have 0.5 more children on average than in South Korea.
Greece: 1.24 children per woman (2024) · South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
24% of people in Greece are 65 or older, versus 20% in South Korea.
Greece: 24.4% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Greece has produced 1.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Korea 0.6.
Greece: 1 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Greece and South Korea are practically level.
Greece: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 6.7 times the size of Greece’s.
Greece: $281 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 39% more per person than Greece.
Greece: Int$45,264 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Greece than in South Korea (Gini 0.5 points higher).
Greece: 33.4 (2023) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.5% in Greece, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Greece: 8.5% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Greece spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, South Korea 2.6%.
Greece: 3.1% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Greece’s price level (US = 100) is 1× South Korea’s.
Greece: 60% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 60% more on health per person than Greece.
Greece: $1,963 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 1.8 years longer than in Greece.
Greece: 81.8 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Greece is 39% more likely to die before turning one than in South Korea.
Greece: 3.2 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Greece has 2.5 times as many doctors per person as South Korea.
Greece: 6.6 per 1,000 (2022) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
34% of adults in Greece are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Greece: 33.7% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Greece smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
Greece: 30.2% (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 0.34 points higher than in Greece.
Greece: 5.70 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Greece drink 4% more alcohol than in South Korea.
Greece: 8.6 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 2% more meat per person than Greece.
Greece: 82 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 49 kcal more food per person per day than Greece.
Greece: 3,382 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Korea put in 17 more hours a year than in Greece.
Greece: 1,893 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 1.2 years longer than in Greece.
Greece: 11.6 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Greece welcomed 8.4 times as many tourists per resident as South Korea (2019).
Greece: 2.67 (2022) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 86% in Greece.
Greece: 86% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Greece and South Korea are practically level.
Greece: 100% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 79% in Greece.
Greece: 79% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Greece 114.
Greece: 114 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 84% longer than Greece’s.
Greece: 2,339 km (2021) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Greece fly 24% more passengers per resident than those from South Korea.
Greece: 1.83 (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 30% of Greece.
Greece: 30.3% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Greece.
Greece: 5.3 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
50% of Greece’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Greece: 49.7% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 39% more fine dust than in Greece.
Greece: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 76% more likely to be murdered in Greece than in South Korea.
Greece: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Greece are 6% deadlier than in South Korea.
Greece: 7.3 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Greece is on average 2.6 °C warmer than South Korea.
Greece: 15.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 58% more rain than Greece.
Greece: 800 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Greece bigger than South Korea?
Greece is larger. Greece is 31% bigger than South Korea.
Which has more people, Greece or South Korea?
South Korea has 5 times as many people as Greece (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Greece or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 1.8 years longer than in Greece. Life expectancy at birth is 81.8 years in Greece and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Greece or South Korea?
Men in Greece are 3.7 cm taller than in South Korea (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
