Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Indonesia 19 times.
Indonesia: 1,916,910 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Indonesia’s coastline is 23 times as long as South Korea’s.
Indonesia: 54,716 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Indonesia’s highest peak towers 2,934 m above South Korea’s.
Indonesia: 4,884 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Indonesia has 5.5 times as many people as South Korea.
Indonesia: 286 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 3.5 times as densely populated as Indonesia.
Indonesia: 151 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 9.3 cm taller than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 166.3 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 8.9 cm taller than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 154.4 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 15 years older than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 29.8 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Indonesia have 1.4 more children on average than in South Korea.
Indonesia: 2.12 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 7.5% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 7.5% (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, Indonesia 0.0.
Indonesia: 0 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Indonesia and South Korea are practically level.
Indonesia: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 30% larger than Indonesia’s.
Indonesia: $1.45 trillion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 3.6 times as much per person as Indonesia.
Indonesia: Int$17,660 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Indonesia than in South Korea (Gini 1.5 points higher).
Indonesia: 34.4 (2025) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.2% in Indonesia, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Indonesia: 3.2% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Indonesia 0.8%.
Indonesia: 0.8% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Indonesia’s.
Indonesia: 29% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 24 times as much on health per person as Indonesia.
Indonesia: $132 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 12 years longer than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 71.3 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Indonesia is 6.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Indonesia: 15.2 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 5 times as many doctors per person as Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.5 per 1,000 (2023) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Indonesia are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Indonesia: 12% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
31% of adults in Indonesia smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
Indonesia: 31% (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 0.42 points higher than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 5.62 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 82 times as much alcohol as in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.1 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 4.2 times as much meat per person as Indonesia.
Indonesia: 20 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 530 kcal more food per person per day than Indonesia.
Indonesia: 2,900 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Indonesia put in 48 more hours a year than in South Korea.
Indonesia: 1,958 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 4 years longer than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 8.7 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 6.6 times as many tourists per resident as Indonesia (2019).
Indonesia: 0.05 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
South Korea has 7 more World Heritage sites than Indonesia (17 against 10).
Indonesia: 10 (2026) · South Korea: 17 (2026)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 73% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 73% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
South Korea and Indonesia are practically level.
Indonesia: 99.9% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 59% in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 59% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Indonesia 123.
Indonesia: 123 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Indonesia’s railway network is 27% longer than South Korea’s.
Indonesia: 5,483 km (2019) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 4.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.34 (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 48% of Indonesia.
Indonesia: 47.7% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 3.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 2.9 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
18% of Indonesia’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Indonesia: 18.1% (2024) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 14% more fine dust than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 18.5 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 57% more likely to be murdered in South Korea than in Indonesia.
Indonesia: 0.3 per 100k (2022) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Indonesia are 64% deadlier than in South Korea.
Indonesia: 11.3 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Indonesia is on average 12.5 °C warmer than South Korea.
Indonesia: 25.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Indonesia gets 2.7 times as much rain as South Korea.
Indonesia: 3,437 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Indonesia bigger than South Korea?
Indonesia is larger. South Korea fits inside Indonesia 19 times.
Which has more people, Indonesia or South Korea?
Indonesia has 5.5 times as many people as South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Indonesia or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 12 years longer than in Indonesia. Life expectancy at birth is 71.3 years in Indonesia and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Indonesia or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 9.3 cm taller than in Indonesia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
