Italy’s coastline is 3.1 times as long as South Korea’s

Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)

Italy’s highest peak towers 2,798 m above South Korea’s

Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)

Farmland covers 44% of Italy, versus 16% of South Korea

Italy: 43.6% (2024) · South Korea: 16% (2024)

Italy has 14% more people than South Korea

Italy: 58.9 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)

South Korea is 2.7 times as densely populated as Italy

Italy: 199 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)

The typical person in Italy is 3 years older than in South Korea

Italy: 47.5 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)

Women in Italy have 0.4 more children on average than in South Korea

Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024) · South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024)

25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 20% in South Korea

Italy: 25.1% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)

Italy hosts 38 times as many refugees per resident as South Korea

Italy: 3.3 per 1,000 (2025) · South Korea: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)

Italy has produced 3.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Korea 0.6

Italy: 3.4 (2026) · South Korea: 0.6 (2026)

Italy and South Korea are practically level

Italy: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)

Italy’s economy is 36% larger than South Korea’s

Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)

South Korea and Italy are nearly identical here

Italy: Int$62,803 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)

Income is more unequally shared in Italy than in South Korea (Gini 1.4 points higher)

Italy: 34.3 (2023) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)

0.9% of people in Italy live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in South Korea

Italy: 0.9% (2023) · South Korea: 0.1% (2021)

Unemployment is 6.4% in Italy, versus 2.7% in South Korea

Italy: 6.4% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)

South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Italy 1.9%

Italy: 1.9% (2025) · South Korea: 2.6% (2025)

Italy’s central government collects 26% of GDP in tax, South Korea’s 13%

Italy: 25.6% (2024) · South Korea: 13.3% (2024)

Italy’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× South Korea’s

Italy: 69% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)

Italy spends 8% more on health per person than South Korea

Italy: $3,398 (2024) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)

Italy and South Korea are nearly identical here

Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)

Italy has 61% more doctors per person than South Korea

Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)

South Korea has 4.2 times as many hospital beds per person as Italy

Italy: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · South Korea: 12.8 per 1,000 (2022)

The suicide rate in South Korea is 4.1 times that in Italy

Italy: 5.7 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 23.4 per 100k (2023)

18% of adults in Italy are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea

Italy: 17.9% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)

22% of adults in Italy smoke, versus 19% in South Korea

Italy: 22.4% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)

People in Italy rate their lives 0.53 points higher than in South Korea

Italy: 6.57 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)

Adults in Italy drink 2% more alcohol than in South Korea

Italy: 8.4 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)

South Korea has 18% more meat per person than Italy

Italy: 71.2 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)

Italy has 322 kcal more food per person per day than South Korea

Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)

Workers in South Korea put in 209 more hours a year than in Italy

Italy: 1,701 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)

Adults in South Korea went to school 1.9 years longer than in Italy

Italy: 10.8 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)

Italy welcomed 3.1 times as many tourists per resident as South Korea (2019)

Italy: 0.98 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)

Italy has 45 more World Heritage sites than South Korea (62 against 17)

Italy: 62 (2026) · South Korea: 17 (2026)

Italy has won 829 Olympic medals, South Korea 409

Italy: 829 (2026 edition) · South Korea: 409 (2026 edition)

98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 89% in Italy

Italy: 89% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)

Home internet in South Korea is 9% faster than in Italy

Italy: 274 Mbps (2026) · South Korea: 298 Mbps (2026)

Italy and South Korea are practically level

Italy: 100% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)

81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 70% in Italy

Italy: 70% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)

South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Italy 133

Italy: 133 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)

Italy’s railway network is 4 times as long as South Korea’s

Italy: 17,305 km (2021) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)

Airlines from South Korea fly 4.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Italy

Italy: 0.34 (2023) · South Korea: 1.48 (2023)

Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 32% of Italy

Italy: 31.8% (2024) · South Korea: 64.4% (2024)

The average person in South Korea emits 2.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Italy

Italy: 5.1 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)

49% of Italy’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea

Italy: 48.8% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)

The air in South Korea carries 38% more fine dust than in Italy

Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)

You are 19% more likely to be murdered in Italy than in South Korea

Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)

Roads in South Korea are 2% deadlier than in Italy

Italy: 8.5 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 8.7 per 100k (2023)

Italy is on average 0.7 °C warmer than South Korea

Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)

South Korea gets 23% more rain than Italy

Italy: 1,030 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)