Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Spain 5 times.
South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023) · Spain: 505,976 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Spain’s coastline is 2.1 times as long as South Korea’s.
South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition) · Spain: 4,964 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Spain’s highest peak towers 1,768 m above South Korea’s.
South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition) · Spain: 3,718 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Korea has 5% more people than Spain.
South Korea: 51.7 million (2025) · Spain: 49.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 5.4 times as densely populated as Spain.
South Korea: 530 per km² (2025) · Spain: 99 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Spain and South Korea are practically level.
South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019) · Spain: 176.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 1.2 cm taller than in Spain.
South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019) · Spain: 162 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Spain is 0.42 years older than in South Korea.
South Korea: 44.5 years (2023) · Spain: 44.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Spain have 0.4 more children on average than in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024) · Spain: 1.1 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Spain are 65 or older, versus 20% in South Korea.
South Korea: 20.3% (2025) · Spain: 21.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Spain has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Korea 0.6.
South Korea: 0.6 (2025) · Spain: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Korea and Spain are practically level.
South Korea: 1 (2026) · Spain: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Spain’s economy is 2% larger than South Korea’s.
South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025) · Spain: $1.91 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 5% more per person than Spain.
South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025) · Spain: Int$59,868 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Spain than in South Korea (Gini 0.5 points higher).
South Korea: 32.9 (2021) · Spain: 33.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Spain, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.7% (2025) · Spain: 10.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Spain 1.4%.
South Korea: 2.6% (2024) · Spain: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Spain’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× South Korea’s.
South Korea: 57% (2025) · Spain: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea and Spain are nearly identical here.
South Korea: $3,137 (2024) · Spain: $3,107 (2023)
How long do people live?
Spain and South Korea are practically level.
South Korea: 83.6 years (2024) · Spain: 83.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Spain is 13% more likely to die before turning one than in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Spain: 2.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Spain has 65% more doctors per person than South Korea.
South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Spain: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Spain are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
South Korea: 7.5% (2024) · Spain: 18.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Spain smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
South Korea: 18.6% (2024) · Spain: 27.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Spain rate their lives 0.50 points higher than in South Korea.
South Korea: 6.04 (2025) · Spain: 6.54 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Spain drink 46% more alcohol than in South Korea.
South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023) · Spain: 12.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Spain has 20% more meat per person than South Korea.
South Korea: 84 kg (2023) · Spain: 100.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 53 kcal more food per person per day than Spain.
South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023) · Spain: 3,377 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Korea put in 272 more hours a year than in Spain.
South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023) · Spain: 1,638 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 2 years longer than in Spain.
South Korea: 12.7 years (2023) · Spain: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Spain welcomed 6.1 times as many tourists per resident as South Korea (2019).
South Korea: 0.32 (2024) · Spain: 1.92 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 96% in Spain.
South Korea: 98% (2024) · Spain: 96% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
South Korea and Spain are practically level.
South Korea: 100% (2024) · Spain: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 81% in Spain.
South Korea: 81% (2025) · Spain: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Spain 130.
South Korea: 173 (2024) · Spain: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Spain’s railway network is 3.7 times as long as South Korea’s.
South Korea: 4,309 km (2021) · Spain: 15,963 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Spain fly 29% more passengers per resident than those from South Korea.
South Korea: 1.48 (2023) · Spain: 1.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 37% of Spain.
South Korea: 64.1% (2023) · Spain: 37.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 2.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Spain.
South Korea: 11.3 t (2024) · Spain: 4.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
56% of Spain’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
South Korea: 10.4% (2025) · Spain: 55.9% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in Spain.
South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024) · Spain: 10 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 45% more likely to be murdered in Spain than in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023) · Spain: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Korea are 2 times as deadly as in Spain.
South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021) · Spain: 3.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Spain is on average 1.7 °C warmer than South Korea.
South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 14.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 90% more rain than Spain.
South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 665 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Korea bigger than Spain?
Spain is larger. South Korea fits inside Spain 5 times.
Which has more people, South Korea or Spain?
South Korea has 5% more people than Spain (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Korea or Spain?
Spain and South Korea are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 83.6 years in South Korea and 83.9 in Spain.
Are people taller in South Korea or Spain?
Spain and South Korea are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
