Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside the Philippines 3 times.
Philippines: 300,000 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The Philippines’ coastline is 15 times as long as South Korea’s.
Philippines: 36,289 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Philippines’ highest peak towers 1,004 m above South Korea’s.
Philippines: 2,954 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Philippines has 2.3 times as many people as South Korea.
Philippines: 117 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 35% more densely populated than the Philippines.
Philippines: 392 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 10.3 cm taller than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 165.2 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 9.1 cm taller than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 154.1 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 19 years older than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 25.3 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Philippines have 1.1 more children on average than in South Korea.
Philippines: 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 5.7% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 5.7% (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, the Philippines 0.1.
Philippines: 0.1 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Philippines has 2 official languages, South Korea 1.
Philippines: 2 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 3.8 times the size of the Philippines’.
Philippines: $487 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 5 times as much per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: Int$12,577 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the Philippines than in South Korea (Gini 6.4 points higher).
Philippines: 39.3 (2023) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
South Korea and the Philippines are practically level.
Philippines: 2.2% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, the Philippines 1.3%.
Philippines: 1.3% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× the Philippines’.
Philippines: 33% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 16 times as much on health per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: $194 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 14 years longer than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 69.9 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Philippines is 9.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Philippines: 21.7 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 3.3 times as many doctors per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: 0.8 per 1,000 (2021) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
9.7% of adults in the Philippines are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Philippines: 9.7% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in the Philippines smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
Philippines: 19.9% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Philippines rate their lives 0.17 points higher than in South Korea.
Philippines: 6.21 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 36% more alcohol than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 6.1 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 2.5 times as much meat per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: 33.6 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 447 kcal more food per person per day than the Philippines.
Philippines: 2,983 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the Philippines put in 186 more hours a year than in South Korea.
Philippines: 2,096 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 2.7 years longer than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 10 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 14 times as many tourists per resident as the Philippines (2019).
Philippines: 0.02 (2022) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 67% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 67% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in South Korea have electricity, versus 95% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 94.8% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 56% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 56% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Philippines 115.
Philippines: 115 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 8.5 times as long as the Philippines’.
Philippines: 509 km (2016) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 4.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Philippines.
Philippines: 0.36 (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 24% of the Philippines.
Philippines: 24.5% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 7.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Philippines.
Philippines: 1.5 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
23% of the Philippines’ electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Philippines: 23.3% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Philippines carries 10% more fine dust than in South Korea.
Philippines: 23.1 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 9.1 times as likely to be murdered in the Philippines as in South Korea.
Philippines: 4.3 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Philippines are 41% deadlier than in South Korea.
Philippines: 9.7 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Philippines is on average 13.2 °C warmer than South Korea.
Philippines: 26.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Philippines gets 2.4 times as much rain as South Korea.
Philippines: 3,001 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Philippines bigger than South Korea?
The Philippines is larger. South Korea fits inside the Philippines 3 times.
Which has more people, the Philippines or South Korea?
The Philippines has 2.3 times as many people as South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Philippines or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 14 years longer than in the Philippines. Life expectancy at birth is 69.9 years in the Philippines and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in the Philippines or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 10.3 cm taller than in the Philippines (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
