The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside South Korea 2.4 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 5.4 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Korea’s highest peak towers 1,088 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 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 2.9 times as many people as the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 1% more densely populated than South Korea.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 8.3 cm taller than in South Korea.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 7.1 cm taller than in South Korea.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 3.1 years older than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Netherlands have 0.7 more children on average than in South Korea.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 20% in South Korea.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Korea 0.6.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Netherlands and South Korea are practically level.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 40% larger than the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 38% more per person than South Korea.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Korea than in the Netherlands (Gini 7.2 points higher).
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.9% in the Netherlands, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, the Netherlands 1.9%.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.5× South Korea’s.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 2.2 times as much on health per person as South Korea.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 1.7 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Netherlands is 48% more likely to die before turning one than in South Korea.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 49% more doctors per person than South Korea.
Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in the Netherlands are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 1.18 points higher than in South Korea.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 4% more alcohol than in South Korea.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 17% more meat per person than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 37 kcal more food per person per day than South Korea.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Korea put in 471 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
South Korea and the Netherlands are practically level.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 2.9 times as many tourists per resident as South Korea (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 97% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and South Korea are practically level.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 81% in South Korea.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Netherlands 129.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 42% longer than the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 55% more passengers per resident than those from South Korea.
Netherlands: 2.29 (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 11% of the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 79% more CO₂ than someone in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 45% more likely to be murdered in the Netherlands than in South Korea.
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Korea are 2 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 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 1.9 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 43% more rain than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than South Korea?
South Korea is larger. The Netherlands fits inside South Korea 2.4 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or South Korea?
South Korea has 2.9 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 1.7 years longer than in the Netherlands. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or South Korea?
Men in the Netherlands are 8.3 cm taller than in South Korea (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
