Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Uganda 2.4 times.
South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023) · Uganda: 241,550 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition) · Uganda: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Uganda’s highest peak towers 3,160 m above South Korea’s.
South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition) · Uganda: 5,110 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Korea and Uganda are nearly identical here.
South Korea: 51.7 million (2025) · Uganda: 51.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 2.1 times as densely populated as Uganda.
South Korea: 530 per km² (2025) · Uganda: 256 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 6.8 cm taller than in Uganda.
South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019) · Uganda: 168.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 4.7 cm taller than in Uganda.
South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019) · Uganda: 158.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 28 years older than in Uganda.
South Korea: 44.5 years (2023) · Uganda: 16.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Uganda have 3.4 more children on average than in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024) · Uganda: 4.17 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 2.2% in Uganda.
South Korea: 20.3% (2025) · Uganda: 2.2% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Korea has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Uganda 0.0.
South Korea: 0.6 (2025) · Uganda: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Uganda has 2 official languages, South Korea 1.
South Korea: 1 (2026) · Uganda: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 30 times the size of Uganda’s.
South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025) · Uganda: $62 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 18 times as much per person as Uganda.
South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025) · Uganda: Int$3,488 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Uganda than in South Korea (Gini 9.8 points higher).
South Korea: 32.9 (2021) · Uganda: 42.7 (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Uganda and South Korea are practically level.
South Korea: 2.7% (2025) · Uganda: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Uganda 1.9%.
South Korea: 2.6% (2024) · Uganda: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Uganda’s.
South Korea: 57% (2025) · Uganda: 35% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 69 times as much on health per person as Uganda.
South Korea: $3,137 (2024) · Uganda: $45 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 15 years longer than in Uganda.
South Korea: 83.6 years (2024) · Uganda: 68.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Uganda is 16 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Uganda: 35.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 14 times as many doctors per person as Uganda.
South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Uganda: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
8.2% of adults in Uganda are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
South Korea: 7.5% (2024) · Uganda: 8.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 7.5% in Uganda.
South Korea: 18.6% (2024) · Uganda: 7.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Korea rate their lives 1.55 points higher than in Uganda.
South Korea: 6.04 (2025) · Uganda: 4.49 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 2 times as much alcohol as in Uganda.
South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023) · Uganda: 4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 7.7 times as much meat per person as Uganda.
South Korea: 84 kg (2023) · Uganda: 10.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 1,053 kcal more food per person per day than Uganda.
South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023) · Uganda: 2,378 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Uganda put in 218 more hours a year than in South Korea.
South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023) · Uganda: 2,128 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 6.4 years longer than in Uganda.
South Korea: 12.7 years (2023) · Uganda: 6.3 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 8.8 times as many tourists per resident as Uganda (2019).
South Korea: 0.32 (2024) · Uganda: 0.04 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 8.9% in Uganda.
South Korea: 98% (2024) · Uganda: 9% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in South Korea have electricity, versus 55% in Uganda.
South Korea: 100% (2024) · Uganda: 55.3% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 32% in Uganda.
South Korea: 81% (2025) · Uganda: 32% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Uganda 83.
South Korea: 173 (2024) · Uganda: 83 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 3.5 times as long as Uganda’s.
South Korea: 4,309 km (2021) · Uganda: 1,244 km (2014)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 3,503 times as many passengers per resident as those from Uganda.
South Korea: 1.48 (2023) · Uganda: 0 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 11% of Uganda.
South Korea: 64.1% (2023) · Uganda: 11% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 89 times as much CO₂ as someone in Uganda.
South Korea: 11.3 t (2024) · Uganda: 0.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
97% of Uganda’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
South Korea: 10.4% (2025) · Uganda: 97.1% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Uganda carries 78% more fine dust than in South Korea.
South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024) · Uganda: 37.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 19 times as likely to be murdered in Uganda as in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023) · Uganda: 9 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Uganda are 2.3 times as deadly as in South Korea.
South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021) · Uganda: 16 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Uganda is on average 10.5 °C warmer than South Korea.
South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Uganda: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Uganda gets 16% more rain than South Korea.
South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Uganda: 1,470 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Korea bigger than Uganda?
Uganda is larger. South Korea fits inside Uganda 2.4 times.
Which has more people, South Korea or Uganda?
South Korea and Uganda are nearly identical here (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Korea or Uganda?
People in South Korea live 15 years longer than in Uganda. Life expectancy at birth is 83.6 years in South Korea and 68.5 in Uganda.
Are people taller in South Korea or Uganda?
Men in South Korea are 6.8 cm taller than in Uganda (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
