Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Myanmar 6.7 times.
Myanmar: 676,590 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 25% longer than Myanmar’s.
Myanmar: 1,930 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Myanmar’s highest peak towers 3,920 m above South Korea’s.
Myanmar: 5,870 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Myanmar has 6% more people than South Korea.
Myanmar: 54.9 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 6.3 times as densely populated as Myanmar.
Myanmar: 84 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 8.8 cm taller than in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 166.7 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 8.5 cm taller than in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 154.7 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 Myanmar.
Myanmar: 29.5 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Myanmar have 1.3 more children on average than in South Korea.
Myanmar: 2.1 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 7.5% in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 7.5% (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, Myanmar 0.2.
Myanmar: 0.2 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Myanmar and South Korea are practically level.
Myanmar: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 23 times the size of Myanmar’s.
Myanmar: $81.7 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 11 times as much per person as Myanmar.
Myanmar: Int$6,012 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Korea than in Myanmar (Gini 2.2 points higher).
Myanmar: 30.7 (2017) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Myanmar and South Korea are practically level.
Myanmar: 3% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Myanmar spends 6.8% of its GDP on the military, South Korea 2.6%.
Myanmar: 6.8% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 2.3× Myanmar’s.
Myanmar: 25% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 56 times as much on health per person as Myanmar.
Myanmar: $56 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 17 years longer than in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 67.1 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Myanmar is 14 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Myanmar: 32.8 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 3.4 times as many doctors per person as Myanmar.
Myanmar: 0.8 per 1,000 (2019) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
8.3% of adults in Myanmar are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Myanmar: 8.3% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
43% of adults in Myanmar smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
Myanmar: 43.4% (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 1.75 points higher than in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 4.29 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 4.4 times as much alcohol as in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 1.9 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 4 times as much meat per person as Myanmar.
Myanmar: 20.9 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 621 kcal more food per person per day than Myanmar.
Myanmar: 2,809 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Myanmar put in 287 more hours a year than in South Korea.
Myanmar: 2,197 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 6.3 years longer than in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 6.4 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 21 times as many tourists per resident as Myanmar (2019).
Myanmar: 0.01 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 45% in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 45% (2020) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in South Korea have electricity, versus 80% in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 80.4% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 31% in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 31% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Myanmar 114.
Myanmar: 114 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Myanmar: no data · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 23 times as many passengers per resident as those from Myanmar.
Myanmar: 0.06 (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 42% of Myanmar.
Myanmar: 42.4% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 19 times as much CO₂ as someone in Myanmar.
Myanmar: 0.6 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Myanmar’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Myanmar: 47.9% (2024) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Myanmar carries 49% more fine dust than in South Korea.
Myanmar: 31.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.4 times as likely to be murdered in Myanmar as in South Korea.
Myanmar: 2.6 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Myanmar are 2.8 times as deadly as in South Korea.
Myanmar: 19.3 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Myanmar is on average 10.9 °C warmer than South Korea.
Myanmar: 24.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Myanmar gets 77% more rain than South Korea.
Myanmar: 2,233 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Myanmar bigger than South Korea?
Myanmar is larger. South Korea fits inside Myanmar 6.7 times.
Which has more people, Myanmar or South Korea?
Myanmar has 6% more people than South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Myanmar or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 17 years longer than in Myanmar. Life expectancy at birth is 67.1 years in Myanmar and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Myanmar or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 8.8 cm taller than in Myanmar (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
