Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Vietnam 3.3 times.
South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Vietnam’s coastline is 43% longer than South Korea’s.
South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Vietnam’s highest peak towers 1,194 m above South Korea’s.
South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vietnam has 2 times as many people as South Korea.
South Korea: 51.7 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 63% more densely populated than Vietnam.
South Korea: 530 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 6.6 cm taller than in Vietnam.
South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 4.8 cm taller than in Vietnam.
South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 12 years older than in Vietnam.
South Korea: 44.5 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Vietnam have 1.1 more children on average than in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 9.5% in Vietnam.
South Korea: 20.3% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Korea has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Vietnam 0.1.
South Korea: 0.6 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Korea and Vietnam are practically level.
South Korea: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 3.6 times the size of Vietnam’s.
South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 3.5 times as much per person as Vietnam.
South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Vietnam than in South Korea (Gini 3.2 points higher).
South Korea: 32.9 (2021) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 2.7% in South Korea, versus 1.5% in Vietnam.
South Korea: 2.7% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Vietnam 1.8%.
South Korea: 2.6% (2024) · Vietnam: 1.8% (2018)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Vietnam’s.
South Korea: 57% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 16 times as much on health per person as Vietnam.
South Korea: $3,137 (2024) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 8.9 years longer than in Vietnam.
South Korea: 83.6 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vietnam is 5.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 2.4 times as many doctors per person as Vietnam.
South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
7.5% of adults in South Korea are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam.
South Korea: 7.5% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
South Korea: 18.6% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Vietnam rate their lives 0.39 points higher than in South Korea.
South Korea: 6.04 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 30% more alcohol than in South Korea.
South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 39% more meat per person than Vietnam.
South Korea: 84 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 344 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam.
South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 250 more hours a year than in South Korea.
South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 3.7 years longer than in Vietnam.
South Korea: 12.7 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 3.9 times as many tourists per resident as Vietnam (2019).
South Korea: 0.32 (2024) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 84% in Vietnam.
South Korea: 98% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
South Korea and Vietnam are practically level.
South Korea: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam.
South Korea: 81% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Vietnam 128.
South Korea: 173 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 36% longer than Vietnam’s.
South Korea: 4,309 km (2021) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 2.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from Vietnam.
South Korea: 1.48 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 47% of Vietnam.
South Korea: 64.1% (2023) · Vietnam: 47.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 3.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Vietnam.
South Korea: 11.3 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
45% of Vietnam’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
South Korea: 10.4% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Vietnam carries 22% more fine dust than in South Korea.
South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vietnam are 2.6 times as deadly as in South Korea.
South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021) · Vietnam: 17.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Vietnam is on average 11.2 °C warmer than South Korea.
South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 69% more rain than South Korea.
South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Korea bigger than Vietnam?
Vietnam is larger. South Korea fits inside Vietnam 3.3 times.
Which has more people, South Korea or Vietnam?
Vietnam has 2 times as many people as South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Korea or Vietnam?
People in South Korea live 8.9 years longer than in Vietnam. Life expectancy at birth is 83.6 years in South Korea and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in South Korea or Vietnam?
Men in South Korea are 6.6 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
