The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside the United Kingdom 2.4 times.
South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 5.2 times as long as South Korea’s.
South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Korea’s highest peak towers 605 m above the United Kingdom’s.
South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 34% more people than South Korea.
South Korea: 51.7 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 84% more densely populated than the United Kingdom.
South Korea: 530 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 2.7 cm taller than in South Korea.
South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
The United Kingdom and South Korea are practically level.
South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 4.7 years older than in the United Kingdom.
South Korea: 44.5 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.8 more children on average than in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 20% in the United Kingdom.
South Korea: 20.3% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Korea 0.6.
South Korea: 0.6 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Korea and the United Kingdom are practically level.
South Korea: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 2.1 times the size of South Korea’s.
South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 2% more per person than South Korea.
South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Korea than in the United Kingdom (Gini 0.5 points higher).
South Korea: 32.9 (2021) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.7% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea and the United Kingdom are practically level.
South Korea: 2.6% (2024) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× South Korea’s.
South Korea: 57% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 87% more on health per person than South Korea.
South Korea: $3,137 (2024) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 2.2 years longer than in the United Kingdom.
South Korea: 83.6 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 78% more likely to die before turning one than in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 26% more doctors per person than South Korea.
South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
South Korea: 7.5% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom.
South Korea: 18.6% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 0.65 points higher than in South Korea.
South Korea: 6.04 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 26% more alcohol than in South Korea.
South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom and South Korea are nearly identical here.
South Korea: 84 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom and South Korea are practically level.
South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Korea put in 387 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 0.77 years longer than in South Korea.
South Korea: 12.7 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Kingdom welcomed 74% more tourists per resident than South Korea (2019).
South Korea: 0.32 (2024) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 95% in the United Kingdom.
South Korea: 98% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
South Korea and the United Kingdom are practically level.
South Korea: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 81% in South Korea.
South Korea: 81% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122.
South Korea: 173 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 3.8 times as long as South Korea’s.
South Korea: 4,309 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 16% more passengers per resident than those from South Korea.
South Korea: 1.48 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 13% of the United Kingdom.
South Korea: 64.1% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 2.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in the United Kingdom.
South Korea: 11.3 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
South Korea: 10.4% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in the United Kingdom.
South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.3 times as likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom as in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Korea are 2.9 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom.
South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Korea is on average 3.2 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 18% more rain than the United Kingdom.
South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Korea bigger than the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is larger. South Korea fits inside the United Kingdom 2.4 times.
Which has more people, South Korea or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 34% more people than South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Korea or the United Kingdom?
People in South Korea live 2.2 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 83.6 years in South Korea and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in South Korea or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 2.7 cm taller than in South Korea (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
