Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Israel fits inside South Korea 4.6 times.
Israel: 22,070 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 8.8 times as long as Israel’s.
Israel: 273 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Israel’s highest peak towers 286 m above South Korea’s.
Israel: 2,236 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 5.1 times as many people as Israel.
Israel: 10.1 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 13% more densely populated than Israel.
Israel: 468 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Israel and South Korea are practically level.
Israel: 176 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 1.0 cm taller than in Israel.
Israel: 162.2 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 Israel.
Israel: 29.2 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Israel have 2.1 more children on average than in South Korea.
Israel: 2.87 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 13% in Israel.
Israel: 12.7% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Israel has produced 5.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Korea 0.6.
Israel: 5.9 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Israel has 2 official languages, South Korea 1.
Israel: 2 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 3.1 times the size of Israel’s.
Israel: $611 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 6% more per person than Israel.
Israel: Int$59,717 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Israel than in South Korea (Gini 5.4 points higher).
Israel: 38.3 (2022) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.5% in Israel, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Israel: 3.5% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Israel spends 8.8% of its GDP on the military, South Korea 2.6%.
Israel: 8.8% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Israel’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× South Korea’s.
Israel: 101% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Israel spends 25% more on health per person than South Korea.
Israel: $3,928 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 0.43 years longer than in Israel.
Israel: 83.2 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Israel is 17% more likely to die before turning one than in South Korea.
Israel: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Israel has 45% more doctors per person than South Korea.
Israel: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Israel are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Israel: 23.3% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Israel smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
Israel: 21.2% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Israel rate their lives 1.15 points higher than in South Korea.
Israel: 7.19 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 2 times as much alcohol as in Israel.
Israel: 4.2 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Israel has 29% more meat per person than South Korea.
Israel: 108.7 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Israel has 324 kcal more food per person per day than South Korea.
Israel: 3,754 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Korea put in 20 more hours a year than in Israel.
Israel: 1,890 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Israel went to school 0.81 years longer than in South Korea.
Israel: 13.5 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 3.3 times as many tourists per resident as Israel (2019).
Israel: 0.1 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 88% in Israel.
Israel: 88% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Israel and South Korea are practically level.
Israel: 100% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Israel live in cities, versus 81% in South Korea.
Israel: 92% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Israel has 177 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, South Korea 173.
Israel: 177 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 2.5 times as long as Israel’s.
Israel: 1,720 km (2021) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Israel.
Israel: 0.73 (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 6.5% of Israel.
Israel: 6.5% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Israel.
Israel: 5.6 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
17% of Israel’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Israel: 16.9% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 3% more fine dust than in Israel.
Israel: 20.4 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.4 times as likely to be murdered in Israel as in South Korea.
Israel: 1.6 per 100k (2022) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Korea are 64% deadlier than in Israel.
Israel: 4.2 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Israel is on average 8.0 °C warmer than South Korea.
Israel: 21.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 6.2 times as much rain as Israel.
Israel: 205 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Israel bigger than South Korea?
South Korea is larger. Israel fits inside South Korea 4.6 times.
Which has more people, Israel or South Korea?
South Korea has 5.1 times as many people as Israel (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Israel or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 0.43 years longer than in Israel. Life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years in Israel and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Israel or South Korea?
Israel and South Korea are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
