East Asia & Pacific
A life that begins in Korea, Dem. People's Rep.
One in every 393 babies in the world is born here: about 341,650 a year, 0.65 a minute.
- Population
- 26,571,036
- Births a year
- 341,650
- Life expectancy
- 73.7
- Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
- 16.7
Health and survival
Life expectancy, women (years)
75.9
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
71.6
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
13.3
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
16.7
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
67
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
≈ 0.3
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
16
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
3.9
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
24.2
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
≈ 1.5
World: 4.7
Family and school
Children per woman
1.78
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
0.1
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
94
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
94
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
27
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
≈ 11.5
World: 11.9
Money and work
Income per person (PPP)
≈ $15,457
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
≈ 34
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
≈ 4.5
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
3.6
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
54
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
78
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
≈ 25
World: 37
Home and connection
Living in cities (%)
64
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
61
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
94
World: 91
Internet users (%)
0
World: 72
Peace and wellbeing
Life satisfaction (0–10)
≈ 6.07
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0
World: 0.34
≈ Estimated from the region
From 1960 to 2050
How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.
1960: 55.6 → 2026: 73.8 → 2050: 77.1
World
1960: 116 → 2026: 15 → 2050: 7
World
1960: 3.6 → 2026: 1.8 → 2050: 1.7
World
1960: 41 → 2026: 65 → 2050: 76
World
Nobody chooses where they are born
In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Korea, Dem. People's Rep. comes up about once in every 393 lives.
Be born nowOther countries in East Asia & Pacific
All 178 countries →Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.