Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Singapore fits inside South Korea 137 times
Singapore: 736 km² (2024) · South Korea: 100,460 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 13 times as long as Singapore’s
Singapore: 193 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Korea’s highest peak towers 1,784 m above Singapore’s
Singapore: 166 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 16% of South Korea, versus 0.9% of Singapore
Singapore: 0.9% (2024) · South Korea: 16% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Korea has 8.5 times as many people as Singapore
Singapore: 6.11 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Singapore is 16 times as densely populated as South Korea
Singapore: 8,432 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 2.0 cm taller than in Singapore
Singapore: 173.5 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 1.9 cm taller than in Singapore
Singapore: 161.3 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 9.4 years older than in Singapore
Singapore: 35.1 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Singapore have 0.2 more children on average than in South Korea
Singapore: 0.97 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 14% in Singapore
Singapore: 14.2% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Singapore: 0 per 1,000 (2025) · South Korea: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Korea has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Singapore none
Singapore: 0 (2026) · South Korea: 0.6 (2026)
How many official languages?
Singapore has 4 official languages, South Korea 1
Singapore: 4 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 3.1 times the size of Singapore’s
Singapore: $604 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Singapore produces 2.6 times as much per person as South Korea
Singapore: Int$163,354 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Singapore: no data · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Singapore: no data · South Korea: 0.1% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Singapore and South Korea are practically level
Singapore: 2.8% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Singapore and South Korea are practically level
Singapore: 3% (2025) · South Korea: 2.6% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Singapore and South Korea are practically level
Singapore: 13.6% (2024) · South Korea: 13.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Singapore’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× South Korea’s
Singapore: 60% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Singapore spends 25% more on health per person than South Korea
Singapore: $3,922 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
South Korea and Singapore are practically level
Singapore: 83.3 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Korea is 5% more likely to die before turning one than in Singapore
Singapore: 2.2 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Singapore has 9% more doctors per person than South Korea
Singapore: 2.8 per 1,000 (2022) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
South Korea has 4.6 times as many hospital beds per person as Singapore
Singapore: 2.8 per 1,000 (2023) · South Korea: 12.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in South Korea is 3.2 times that in Singapore
Singapore: 7.3 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 23.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in Singapore are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea
Singapore: 16.8% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 14% in Singapore
Singapore: 13.8% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Singapore rate their lives 0.54 points higher than in South Korea
Singapore: 6.59 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 3.8 times as much alcohol as in Singapore
Singapore: 2.2 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Singapore: no data · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Singapore: no data · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Singapore put in 373 more hours a year than in South Korea
Singapore: 2,283 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 0.73 years longer than in Singapore
Singapore: 12 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Singapore welcomed 6.8 times as many tourists per resident as South Korea (2019)
Singapore: 2.16 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
South Korea has 16 more World Heritage sites than Singapore (17 against 1)
Singapore: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 17 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
South Korea has won 409 Olympic medals, Singapore 6
Singapore: 6 (2026 edition) · South Korea: 409 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 94% in Singapore
Singapore: 94% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Singapore is 2.4 times as fast as in South Korea
Singapore: 702 Mbps (2026) · South Korea: 298 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Singapore and South Korea are practically level
Singapore: 100% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
100% of people in Singapore live in cities, versus 81% in South Korea
Singapore: 100% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Singapore 171
Singapore: 171 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Singapore: no data · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Singapore fly 5.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Korea
Singapore: 7.77 (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 22% of Singapore
Singapore: 21.8% (2024) · South Korea: 64.4% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 22% more CO₂ than someone in Singapore
Singapore: 9.2 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
10% of South Korea’s electricity is renewable, versus 5.5% in Singapore
Singapore: 5.5% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 72% more fine dust than in Singapore
Singapore: 12.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6.9 times as likely to be murdered in South Korea as in Singapore
Singapore: 0.1 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Korea are 3.8 times as deadly as in Singapore
Singapore: 2.3 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 8.7 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Singapore: no data · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Singapore: no data · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Singapore bigger than South Korea?
South Korea is larger. Singapore fits inside South Korea 137 times.
Which has more people, Singapore or South Korea?
South Korea has 8.5 times as many people as Singapore (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Singapore or South Korea?
South Korea and Singapore are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 83.3 years in Singapore and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Singapore or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 2.0 cm taller than in Singapore (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
