Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Kenya 5.9 times.
Kenya: 591,969 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 4.5 times as long as Kenya’s.
Kenya: 536 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kenya’s highest peak towers 3,249 m above South Korea’s.
Kenya: 5,199 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Kenya has 11% more people than South Korea.
Kenya: 57.5 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 5.3 times as densely populated as Kenya.
Kenya: 99 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 5.1 cm taller than in Kenya.
Kenya: 170.5 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 3.8 cm taller than in Kenya.
Kenya: 159.4 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 25 years older than in Kenya.
Kenya: 19.5 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kenya have 2.4 more children on average than in South Korea.
Kenya: 3.17 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 3.0% in Kenya.
Kenya: 3% (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, Kenya 0.2.
Kenya: 0.2 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Kenya has 2 official languages, South Korea 1.
Kenya: 2 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 14 times the size of Kenya’s.
Kenya: $136 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 9 times as much per person as Kenya.
Kenya: Int$7,016 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Kenya than in South Korea (Gini 5.6 points higher).
Kenya: 38.5 (2022) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.4% in Kenya, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Kenya: 5.4% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Kenya 1.0%.
Kenya: 1% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Kenya’s.
Kenya: 34% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 37 times as much on health per person as Kenya.
Kenya: $85 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 20 years longer than in Kenya.
Kenya: 63.8 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kenya is 15 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Kenya: 34.2 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 9 times as many doctors per person as Kenya.
Kenya: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
10% of adults in Kenya are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Kenya: 10.4% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 9.6% in Kenya.
Kenya: 9.6% (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 1.37 points higher than in Kenya.
Kenya: 4.67 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 3.7 times as much alcohol as in Kenya.
Kenya: 2.2 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 8.3 times as much meat per person as Kenya.
Kenya: 10.2 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 1,284 kcal more food per person per day than Kenya.
Kenya: 2,146 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Kenya put in 124 more hours a year than in South Korea.
Kenya: 2,035 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 4.1 years longer than in Kenya.
Kenya: 8.6 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 11 times as many tourists per resident as Kenya (2019).
Kenya: 0.03 (2017) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 35% in Kenya.
Kenya: 35% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in South Korea have electricity, versus 77% in Kenya.
Kenya: 77% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 32% in Kenya.
Kenya: 32% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Kenya 126.
Kenya: 126 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 13% longer than Kenya’s.
Kenya: 3,819 km (2018) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 17 times as many passengers per resident as those from Kenya.
Kenya: 0.09 (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 6.2% of Kenya.
Kenya: 6.2% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 30 times as much CO₂ as someone in Kenya.
Kenya: 0.4 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
90% of Kenya’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Kenya: 90% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Kenya carries 5% more fine dust than in South Korea.
Kenya: 22 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 10 times as likely to be murdered in Kenya as in South Korea.
Kenya: 4.9 per 100k (2022) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kenya are 4.1 times as deadly as in South Korea.
Kenya: 28.2 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Kenya is on average 12.5 °C warmer than South Korea.
Kenya: 25.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 82% more rain than Kenya.
Kenya: 696 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Kenya bigger than South Korea?
Kenya is larger. South Korea fits inside Kenya 5.9 times.
Which has more people, Kenya or South Korea?
Kenya has 11% more people than South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kenya or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 20 years longer than in Kenya. Life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years in Kenya and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Kenya or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 5.1 cm taller than in Kenya (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
