Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Ukraine 6 times.
South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023) · Ukraine: 603,550 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ukraine’s coastline is 15% longer than South Korea’s.
South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition) · Ukraine: 2,782 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ukraine’s highest peak towers 111 m above South Korea’s.
South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition) · Ukraine: 2,061 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Korea has 33% more people than Ukraine.
South Korea: 51.7 million (2025) · Ukraine: 39 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 7.9 times as densely populated as Ukraine.
South Korea: 530 per km² (2025) · Ukraine: 67 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ukraine are 5.5 cm taller than in South Korea.
South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019) · Ukraine: 181 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ukraine are 3.4 cm taller than in South Korea.
South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019) · Ukraine: 166.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 2.5 years older than in Ukraine.
South Korea: 44.5 years (2023) · Ukraine: 42 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ukraine have 0.2 more children on average than in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024) · Ukraine: 0.99 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 19% in Ukraine.
South Korea: 20.3% (2025) · Ukraine: 19% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ukraine has produced 1.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Korea 0.6.
South Korea: 0.6 (2025) · Ukraine: 1.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Korea and Ukraine are practically level.
South Korea: 1 (2026) · Ukraine: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 8.7 times the size of Ukraine’s.
South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025) · Ukraine: $214 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 3.3 times as much per person as Ukraine.
South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025) · Ukraine: Int$18,905 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Korea than in Ukraine (Gini 7.3 points higher).
South Korea: 32.9 (2021) · Ukraine: 25.6 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.8% in Ukraine, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.7% (2025) · Ukraine: 9.8% (2021)
How much goes to the military?
Ukraine spends 34% of its GDP on the military, South Korea 2.6%.
South Korea: 2.6% (2024) · Ukraine: 34.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Ukraine’s.
South Korea: 57% (2025) · Ukraine: 31% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 8.5 times as much on health per person as Ukraine.
South Korea: $3,137 (2024) · Ukraine: $370 (2021)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 8.9 years longer than in Ukraine.
South Korea: 83.6 years (2024) · Ukraine: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ukraine is 3.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Ukraine: 7.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ukraine has 35% more doctors per person than South Korea.
South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Ukraine: 3.5 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
28% of adults in Ukraine are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
South Korea: 7.5% (2024) · Ukraine: 27.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Ukraine smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
South Korea: 18.6% (2024) · Ukraine: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Korea rate their lives 1.38 points higher than in Ukraine.
South Korea: 6.04 (2025) · Ukraine: 4.66 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 2.1 times as much alcohol as in Ukraine.
South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023) · Ukraine: 3.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 70% more meat per person than Ukraine.
South Korea: 84 kg (2023) · Ukraine: 49.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 645 kcal more food per person per day than Ukraine.
South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023) · Ukraine: 2,786 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ukraine put in 135 more hours a year than in South Korea.
South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023) · Ukraine: 2,045 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 1.6 years longer than in Ukraine.
South Korea: 12.7 years (2023) · Ukraine: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 4.8 times as many tourists per resident as Ukraine (2019).
South Korea: 0.32 (2024) · Ukraine: 0.07 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
South Korea has 9 more World Heritage sites than Ukraine (17 against 8).
South Korea: 17 (2026) · Ukraine: 8 (2026)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 82% in Ukraine.
South Korea: 98% (2024) · Ukraine: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
South Korea and Ukraine are practically level.
South Korea: 100% (2024) · Ukraine: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 70% in Ukraine.
South Korea: 81% (2025) · Ukraine: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ukraine 133.
South Korea: 173 (2024) · Ukraine: 133 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Ukraine’s railway network is 5 times as long as South Korea’s.
South Korea: 4,309 km (2021) · Ukraine: 21,626 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 127 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ukraine.
South Korea: 1.48 (2023) · Ukraine: 0.01 (2022)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 17% of Ukraine.
South Korea: 64.1% (2023) · Ukraine: 16.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ukraine.
South Korea: 11.3 t (2024) · Ukraine: 3.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
16% of Ukraine’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
South Korea: 10.4% (2025) · Ukraine: 16.4% (2022)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 48% more fine dust than in Ukraine.
South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024) · Ukraine: 14.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 7.9 times as likely to be murdered in Ukraine as in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023) · Ukraine: 3.8 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ukraine are 52% deadlier than in South Korea.
South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021) · Ukraine: 10.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Korea is on average 2.9 °C warmer than Ukraine.
South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ukraine: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 2 times as much rain as Ukraine.
South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ukraine: 619 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Korea bigger than Ukraine?
Ukraine is larger. South Korea fits inside Ukraine 6 times.
Which has more people, South Korea or Ukraine?
South Korea has 33% more people than Ukraine (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Korea or Ukraine?
People in South Korea live 8.9 years longer than in Ukraine. Life expectancy at birth is 83.6 years in South Korea and 74.7 in Ukraine.
Are people taller in South Korea or Ukraine?
Men in Ukraine are 5.5 cm taller than in South Korea (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
