Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Mexico 19 times.
Mexico: 1,957,190 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Mexico’s coastline is 3.9 times as long as South Korea’s.
Mexico: 9,330 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Mexico’s highest peak towers 3,686 m above South Korea’s.
Mexico: 5,636 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Mexico has 2.6 times as many people as South Korea.
Mexico: 132 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 7.8 times as densely populated as Mexico.
Mexico: 68 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 5.2 cm taller than in Mexico.
Mexico: 170.3 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 5.3 cm taller than in Mexico.
Mexico: 157.9 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 16 years older than in Mexico.
Mexico: 28.9 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Mexico have 1.1 more children on average than in South Korea.
Mexico: 1.89 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 8.5% in Mexico.
Mexico: 8.5% (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, Mexico 0.2.
Mexico: 0.2 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Mexico and South Korea are practically level.
Mexico: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 2% larger than Mexico’s.
Mexico: $1.83 trillion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 2.4 times as much per person as Mexico.
Mexico: Int$25,869 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Mexico than in South Korea (Gini 9.7 points higher).
Mexico: 42.6 (2024) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
South Korea and Mexico are practically level.
Mexico: 2.7% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Mexico 0.9%.
Mexico: 0.9% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Mexico’s.
Mexico: 54% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 4.1 times as much on health per person as Mexico.
Mexico: $761 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 8.4 years longer than in Mexico.
Mexico: 75.3 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Mexico is 5.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Mexico: 12.1 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea and Mexico are nearly identical here.
Mexico: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Mexico are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Mexico: 37.4% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 16% in Mexico.
Mexico: 15.7% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Mexico rate their lives 0.93 points higher than in South Korea.
Mexico: 6.97 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 24% more alcohol than in Mexico.
Mexico: 6.7 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 7% more meat per person than Mexico.
Mexico: 78.2 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 126 kcal more food per person per day than Mexico.
Mexico: 3,305 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Korea put in 281 more hours a year than in Mexico.
Mexico: 1,629 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 3.4 years longer than in Mexico.
Mexico: 9.3 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Mexico welcomed 9% more tourists per resident than South Korea (2019).
Mexico: 0.34 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 83% in Mexico.
Mexico: 83% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
South Korea and Mexico are practically level.
Mexico: 99.8% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 80% in Mexico.
Mexico: 80% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Mexico 116.
Mexico: 116 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Mexico’s railway network is 5.4 times as long as South Korea’s.
Mexico: 23,389 km (2017) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 2.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from Mexico.
Mexico: 0.6 (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 34% of Mexico.
Mexico: 33.6% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 3.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Mexico.
Mexico: 3.5 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
23% of Mexico’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Mexico: 23.1% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 15% more fine dust than in Mexico.
Mexico: 18.3 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 52 times as likely to be murdered in Mexico as in South Korea.
Mexico: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Mexico are 74% deadlier than in South Korea.
Mexico: 12 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mexico is on average 8.3 °C warmer than South Korea.
Mexico: 21.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 60% more rain than Mexico.
Mexico: 788 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Mexico bigger than South Korea?
Mexico is larger. South Korea fits inside Mexico 19 times.
Which has more people, Mexico or South Korea?
Mexico has 2.6 times as many people as South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Mexico or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 8.4 years longer than in Mexico. Life expectancy at birth is 75.3 years in Mexico and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Mexico or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 5.2 cm taller than in Mexico (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
