Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Romania 2.4 times.
Romania: 238,400 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 11 times as long as Romania’s.
Romania: 225 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Romania’s highest peak towers 594 m above South Korea’s.
Romania: 2,544 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 2.7 times as many people as Romania.
Romania: 19 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 6.4 times as densely populated as Romania.
Romania: 83 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Romania are 2.3 cm taller than in South Korea.
Romania: 177.8 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Romania are 1.5 cm taller than in South Korea.
Romania: 164.7 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 1.9 years older than in Romania.
Romania: 42.6 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Romania have 0.6 more children on average than in South Korea.
Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024) · South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
South Korea and Romania are practically level.
Romania: 20.1% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Romania has produced 2.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Korea 0.6.
Romania: 2.1 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Romania and South Korea are practically level.
Romania: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 4.4 times the size of Romania’s.
Romania: $429 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 24% more per person than Romania.
Romania: Int$50,895 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Korea than in Romania (Gini 3.1 points higher).
Romania: 29.8 (2023) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Romania, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
Romania: 6% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea and Romania are practically level.
Romania: 2.3% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Romania’s.
Romania: 44% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 3 times as much on health per person as Romania.
Romania: $1,051 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 7.2 years longer than in Romania.
Romania: 76.5 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Romania is 2.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Romania has 39% more doctors per person than South Korea.
Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Romania: 37.7% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
Romania: 29.7% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Romania rate their lives 0.59 points higher than in South Korea.
Romania: 6.63 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 2.1 times as much alcohol as in South Korea.
Romania: 17.1 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 16% more meat per person than Romania.
Romania: 72.5 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Romania has 219 kcal more food per person per day than South Korea.
Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Korea put in 84 more hours a year than in Romania.
Romania: 1,826 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 1.2 years longer than in Romania.
Romania: 11.6 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Romania welcomed 2.2 times as many tourists per resident as South Korea (2019).
Romania: 0.7 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 91% in Romania.
Romania: 91% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Romania and South Korea are practically level.
Romania: 100% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 52% in Romania.
Romania: 52% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Romania 120.
Romania: 120 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 2.5 times as long as South Korea’s.
Romania: 10,769 km (2021) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 10 times as many passengers per resident as those from Romania.
Romania: 0.15 (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 30% of Romania.
Romania: 30.1% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 3.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Romania.
Romania: 3.6 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
47% of Romania’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Romania: 47% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 47% more fine dust than in Romania.
Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.3 times as likely to be murdered in Romania as in South Korea.
Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Romania are 39% deadlier than in South Korea.
Romania: 9.6 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 2.2 °C warmer than Romania.
Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 67% more rain than Romania.
Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Romania bigger than South Korea?
Romania is larger. South Korea fits inside Romania 2.4 times.
Which has more people, Romania or South Korea?
South Korea has 2.7 times as many people as Romania (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Romania or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 7.2 years longer than in Romania. Life expectancy at birth is 76.5 years in Romania and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Romania or South Korea?
Men in Romania are 2.3 cm taller than in South Korea (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
