Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Sudan 19 times.
South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023) · Sudan: 1,878,000 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 2.8 times as long as Sudan’s.
South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition) · Sudan: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sudan’s highest peak towers 1,092 m above South Korea’s.
South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition) · Sudan: 3,042 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Korea and Sudan are nearly identical here.
South Korea: 51.7 million (2025) · Sudan: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 19 times as densely populated as Sudan.
South Korea: 530 per km² (2025) · Sudan: 28 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 3.5 cm taller than in Sudan.
South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019) · Sudan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 2.9 cm taller than in Sudan.
South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019) · Sudan: 160.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 26 years older than in Sudan.
South Korea: 44.5 years (2023) · Sudan: 18.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sudan have 3.5 more children on average than in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024) · Sudan: 4.26 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Sudan.
South Korea: 20.3% (2025) · Sudan: 3.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Korea has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sudan 0.0.
South Korea: 0.6 (2025) · Sudan: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sudan has 2 official languages, South Korea 1.
South Korea: 1 (2026) · Sudan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 31 times the size of Sudan’s.
South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025) · Sudan: $60.2 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 29 times as much per person as Sudan.
South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025) · Sudan: Int$2,192 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sudan than in South Korea (Gini 1.3 points higher).
South Korea: 32.9 (2021) · Sudan: 34.2 (2014)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in Sudan, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.7% (2025) · Sudan: 7.5% (2022)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Sudan 0.9%.
South Korea: 2.6% (2024) · Sudan: 0.9% (2021)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Sudan’s.
South Korea: 57% (2025) · Sudan: 53% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 149 times as much on health per person as Sudan.
South Korea: $3,137 (2024) · Sudan: $21 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 17 years longer than in Sudan.
South Korea: 83.6 years (2024) · Sudan: 66.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sudan is 19 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Sudan: 42.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 10 times as many doctors per person as Sudan.
South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Sudan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is obesity?
16% of adults in Sudan are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
South Korea: 7.5% (2024) · Sudan: 16.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
South Korea: 18.6% (2024) · Sudan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Korea rate their lives 1.90 points higher than in Sudan.
South Korea: 6.04 (2025) · Sudan: 4.14 (2017)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 5.9 times as much alcohol as in Sudan.
South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023) · Sudan: 1.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 4.6 times as much meat per person as Sudan.
South Korea: 84 kg (2023) · Sudan: 18.4 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 917 kcal more food per person per day than Sudan.
South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023) · Sudan: 2,513 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sudan put in 748 more hours a year than in South Korea.
South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023) · Sudan: 2,658 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 8.8 years longer than in Sudan.
South Korea: 12.7 years (2023) · Sudan: 4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 17 times as many tourists per resident as Sudan (2019).
South Korea: 0.32 (2024) · Sudan: 0.02 (2018)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 19% in Sudan.
South Korea: 98% (2024) · Sudan: 19% (2017)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in South Korea have electricity, versus 66% in Sudan.
South Korea: 100% (2024) · Sudan: 66% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 35% in Sudan.
South Korea: 81% (2025) · Sudan: 35% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sudan 70.
South Korea: 173 (2024) · Sudan: 70 (2022)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 57% longer than Sudan’s.
South Korea: 4,309 km (2021) · Sudan: 2,747 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 84 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sudan.
South Korea: 1.48 (2023) · Sudan: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 9.6% of Sudan.
South Korea: 64.1% (2023) · Sudan: 9.6% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 32 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sudan.
South Korea: 11.3 t (2024) · Sudan: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
80% of Sudan’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
South Korea: 10.4% (2025) · Sudan: 79.7% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Sudan carries 37% more fine dust than in South Korea.
South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024) · Sudan: 28.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sudan are 2.8 times as deadly as in South Korea.
South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021) · Sudan: 19.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sudan is on average 14.5 °C warmer than South Korea.
South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 27.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 7.4 times as much rain as Sudan.
South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 171 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Korea bigger than Sudan?
Sudan is larger. South Korea fits inside Sudan 19 times.
Which has more people, South Korea or Sudan?
South Korea and Sudan are nearly identical here (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Korea or Sudan?
People in South Korea live 17 years longer than in Sudan. Life expectancy at birth is 83.6 years in South Korea and 66.5 in Sudan.
Are people taller in South Korea or Sudan?
Men in South Korea are 3.5 cm taller than in Sudan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
