Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Kazakhstan 27 times
Kazakhstan: 2,724,900 km² (2024) · South Korea: 100,460 km² (2024)
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)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 79% of Kazakhstan, versus 16% of South Korea
Kazakhstan: 79.2% (2024) · South Korea: 16% (2024)
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 refugees does it host?
Kazakhstan hosts 2.5 times as many refugees per resident as South Korea
Kazakhstan: 0.2 per 1,000 (2025) · South Korea: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Korea has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Kazakhstan none
Kazakhstan: 0 (2026) · South Korea: 0.6 (2026)
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 live on less than $3 a day?
South Korea and Kazakhstan are practically level
Kazakhstan: 0% (2021) · South Korea: 0.1% (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% (2025) · South Korea: 2.6% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
South Korea’s central government collects 13% of GDP in tax, Kazakhstan’s 12%
Kazakhstan: 11.9% (2023) · South Korea: 13.3% (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 many hospital beds are there?
South Korea has 2 times as many hospital beds per person as Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 6.5 per 1,000 (2020) · South Korea: 12.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in South Korea is 29% higher than in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 18.2 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 23.4 per 100k (2023)
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)
How many World Heritage sites?
South Korea has 10 more World Heritage sites than Kazakhstan (17 against 7)
Kazakhstan: 7 (2026) · South Korea: 17 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
South Korea has won 409 Olympic medals, Kazakhstan 87
Kazakhstan: 87 (2026 edition) · South Korea: 409 (2026 edition)
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)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in South Korea is 81% faster than in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 165 Mbps (2026) · South Korea: 298 Mbps (2026)
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% (2024) · South Korea: 64.4% (2024)
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 2.3 times as deadly as in South Korea
Kazakhstan: 20.4 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 8.7 per 100k (2023)
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)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
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).
