Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Kazakhstan 27 times.
Kazakhstan: 2,724,900 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Kazakhstan: 0 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kazakhstan’s highest peak towers 5,060 m above South Korea’s.
Kazakhstan: 7,010 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 2.5 times as many people as Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 20.8 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 69 times as densely populated as Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 8 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
South Korea and Kazakhstan are practically level.
Kazakhstan: 175.5 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 1.5 cm taller than in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 161.7 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 Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 29.5 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kazakhstan have 2.2 more children on average than in South Korea.
Kazakhstan: 2.98 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 9.0% in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 9% (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, Kazakhstan 0.0.
Kazakhstan: 0 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Kazakhstan has 2 official languages, South Korea 1.
Kazakhstan: 2 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 6.1 times the size of Kazakhstan’s.
Kazakhstan: $306 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 43% more per person than Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: Int$44,294 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Korea than in Kazakhstan (Gini 3.7 points higher).
Kazakhstan: 29.2 (2021) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.8% in Kazakhstan, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Kazakhstan: 4.8% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Kazakhstan 0.4%.
Kazakhstan: 0.4% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Kazakhstan’s.
Kazakhstan: 33% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 6.4 times as much on health per person as Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: $490 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 9.1 years longer than in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 74.5 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kazakhstan is 3.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Kazakhstan: 7.4 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Kazakhstan has 44% more doctors per person than South Korea.
Kazakhstan: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
22% of adults in Kazakhstan are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Kazakhstan: 22.4% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Kazakhstan smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
Kazakhstan: 21.1% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Kazakhstan rate their lives 0.59 points higher than in South Korea.
Kazakhstan: 6.63 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 39% more alcohol than in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 6 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 29% more meat per person than Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 64.9 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 294 kcal more food per person per day than Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 3,136 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Kazakhstan put in 64 more hours a year than in South Korea.
Kazakhstan: 1,975 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 0.18 years longer than in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 12.5 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Kazakhstan welcomed 59% more tourists per resident than South Korea (2019).
Kazakhstan: 0.5 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 93% in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 93% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Kazakhstan and South Korea are practically level.
Kazakhstan: 100% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 62% in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 62% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Kazakhstan 127.
Kazakhstan: 127 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Kazakhstan’s railway network is 3.7 times as long as South Korea’s.
Kazakhstan: 16,006 km (2021) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 2.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 0.57 (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 1.3% of Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 1.3% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Kazakhstan emits 23% more CO₂ than someone in South Korea.
Kazakhstan: 13.9 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
15% of Kazakhstan’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Kazakhstan: 14.9% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 31% more fine dust than in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 16 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.3 times as likely to be murdered in Kazakhstan as in South Korea.
Kazakhstan: 2.6 per 100k (2022) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kazakhstan are 77% deadlier than in South Korea.
Kazakhstan: 12.2 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Korea is on average 5.4 °C warmer than Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 3.9 times as much rain as Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan: 328 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Kazakhstan bigger than South Korea?
Kazakhstan is larger. South Korea fits inside Kazakhstan 27 times.
Which has more people, Kazakhstan or South Korea?
South Korea has 2.5 times as many people as Kazakhstan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kazakhstan or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 9.1 years longer than in Kazakhstan. Life expectancy at birth is 74.5 years in Kazakhstan and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Kazakhstan or South Korea?
South Korea and Kazakhstan are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
