Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside India 33 times.
India: 3,287,260 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
India’s coastline is 2.9 times as long as South Korea’s.
India: 7,000 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
India’s highest peak towers 6,636 m above South Korea’s.
India: 8,586 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
India has 28 times as many people as South Korea.
India: 1.46 billion (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 8% more densely populated than India.
India: 492 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 9.0 cm taller than in India.
India: 166.5 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 8.0 cm taller than in India.
India: 155.2 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 India.
India: 28.1 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in India have 1.2 more children on average than in South Korea.
India: 1.96 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 7.4% in India.
India: 7.4% (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, India 0.1.
India: 0.1 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
India has 3 official languages, South Korea 1.
India: 3 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
India’s economy is 2.1 times the size of South Korea’s.
India: $3.96 trillion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 5.4 times as much per person as India.
India: Int$11,748 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Korea than in India (Gini 7.4 points higher).
India: 25.5 (2022) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in India, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
India: 4.2% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea and India are practically level.
India: 2.3% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 2.5× India’s.
India: 23% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 37 times as much on health per person as India.
India: $85 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 11 years longer than in India.
India: 72.2 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in India is 10 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
India: 23.3 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 3.6 times as many doctors per person as India.
India: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
India and South Korea are practically level.
India: 8% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in India smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
India: 22.6% (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 1.50 points higher than in India.
India: 4.54 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 58% more alcohol than in India.
India: 5.2 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 10 times as much meat per person as India.
India: 8.1 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 762 kcal more food per person per day than India.
India: 2,669 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in India put in 472 more hours a year than in South Korea.
India: 2,383 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 5.8 years longer than in India.
India: 6.9 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 47 times as many tourists per resident as India (2019).
India: 0.01 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 70% in India.
India: 70% (2025) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
South Korea and India are practically level.
India: 99.9% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 36% in India.
India: 36% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, India 79.
India: 79 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
India’s railway network is 16 times as long as South Korea’s.
India: 68,103 km (2021) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 12 times as many passengers per resident as those from India.
India: 0.12 (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 25% of India.
India: 24.5% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 5.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in India.
India: 2.2 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of India’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
India: 24.1% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in India carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in South Korea.
India: 44.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.9 times as likely to be murdered in India as in South Korea.
India: 2.8 per 100k (2022) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in India are 2.1 times as deadly as in South Korea.
India: 14.6 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
India is on average 11.3 °C warmer than South Korea.
India: 24.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
India and South Korea are nearly identical here.
India: 1,268 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is India bigger than South Korea?
India is larger. South Korea fits inside India 33 times.
Which has more people, India or South Korea?
India has 28 times as many people as South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, India or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 11 years longer than in India. Life expectancy at birth is 72.2 years in India and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in India or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 9.0 cm taller than in India (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
