Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Saudi Arabia 21 times.
Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Saudi Arabia’s coastline is 9% longer than South Korea’s.
Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Saudi Arabia’s highest peak towers 1,050 m above South Korea’s.
Saudi Arabia: 3,000 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 40% more people than Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 37 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 31 times as densely populated as Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 17 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 4.9 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 170.7 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 4.4 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 158.8 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 Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 29.2 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Saudi Arabia have 1.6 more children on average than in South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 2.31 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 3.1% in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 3.1% (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, Saudi Arabia 0.0.
Saudi Arabia: 0 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Saudi Arabia and South Korea are practically level.
Saudi Arabia: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 47% larger than Saudi Arabia’s.
Saudi Arabia: $1.28 trillion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Saudi Arabia produces 17% more per person than South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: Int$73,784 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Saudi Arabia: no data · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Saudi Arabia and South Korea are practically level.
Saudi Arabia: 3% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Saudi Arabia spends 7.3% of its GDP on the military, South Korea 2.6%.
Saudi Arabia: 7.3% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Saudi Arabia’s.
Saudi Arabia: 47% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 72% more on health per person than Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: $1,825 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 4.6 years longer than in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 79 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Saudi Arabia is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Saudi Arabia has 30% more doctors per person than South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2023) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
39% of adults in Saudi Arabia are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 39.2% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 15% in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 14.7% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Saudi Arabia rate their lives 0.78 points higher than in South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 6.82 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Saudi Arabia: no data · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 45% more meat per person than Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 58.1 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Saudi Arabia has 229 kcal more food per person per day than South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 3,660 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Saudi Arabia put in 214 more hours a year than in South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 2,125 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 1.1 years longer than in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 11.6 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Saudi Arabia welcomed 2.7 times as many tourists per resident as South Korea (2019).
Saudi Arabia: 0.84 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia are online, versus 98% in South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Saudi Arabia and South Korea are practically level.
Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
85% of people in Saudi Arabia live in cities, versus 81% in South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 85% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Saudi Arabia 160.
Saudi Arabia: 160 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 47% longer than Saudi Arabia’s.
Saudi Arabia: 2,939 km (2018) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 14% more passengers per resident than those from Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 1.3 (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 0.5% of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 0.5% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Saudi Arabia emits 81% more CO₂ than someone in South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 20.4 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
10% of South Korea’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.2% in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 2.2% (2024) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Saudi Arabia carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 50.4 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2 times as likely to be murdered in Saudi Arabia as in South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 0.9 per 100k (2019) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Saudi Arabia are 2.7 times as deadly as in South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 18.5 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Saudi Arabia is on average 13.7 °C warmer than South Korea.
Saudi Arabia: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 21 times as much rain as Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Saudi Arabia bigger than South Korea?
Saudi Arabia is larger. South Korea fits inside Saudi Arabia 21 times.
Which has more people, Saudi Arabia or South Korea?
South Korea has 40% more people than Saudi Arabia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Saudi Arabia or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 4.6 years longer than in Saudi Arabia. Life expectancy at birth is 79.0 years in Saudi Arabia and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Saudi Arabia or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 4.9 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
