# South Korea vs United States — key facts side by side

Source: GeoReality (https://geo-reality.com) — verified country data, regenerated 2026-10-04.
When citing a figure, attribute both GeoReality and the primary source in the last column.

- Full comparison: https://geo-reality.com/compare/south-korea-vs-united-states
- South Korea profile: https://geo-reality.com/country/kr · facts: https://geo-reality.com/api/facts/kr.md
- United States profile: https://geo-reality.com/country/us · facts: https://geo-reality.com/api/facts/us.md
- Methodology and source URLs: https://geo-reality.com/data-sources

| Fact | South Korea | United States | Primary source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 51,684,564 | 341,784,857 | World Bank SP.POP.TOTL |
| Area | 97,600 km² | 9,147,420 km² | World Bank AG.LND.TOTL.K2 |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | 36,227 USD | 90,027 USD | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | 63,125 intl $ | 90,027 intl $ | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD |
| GDP (total) | 1,872 bn USD | 30,770 bn USD | World Bank NY.GDP.MKTP.CD |
| Human Development Index | 0.94 | 0.94 | UNDP Human Development Report (2023) |
| Global Peace Index (lower = more peaceful) | 1.84 | 2.54 | IEP Global Peace Index (2026) |
| Life satisfaction (Cantril ladder, 0-10) | 6.04 | 6.82 | World Happiness Report — Data for Figure 2.1, life evaluation (Cantril ladder) (2026) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.6 years | 78.9 years | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Fertility rate | 0.75 births/woman | 1.63 births/woman | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Unemployment | 2.7% | 4.2% | World Bank SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS |
| Inflation (CPI, annual) | 2.1% | 2.9% | World Bank FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG |
| Gini income inequality | 32.9 | 41.8 | World Bank SI.POV.GINI |
| Cost of living index (NYC = 100) | 61.6 | 68.8 | Numbeo (2026) |
| Safety index (Numbeo) | 71 | 50.8 | Numbeo (2026) |
| Median fixed broadband | 253.16 Mbps | 308.11 Mbps | Ookla Speedtest Global Index (2025) |
| Internet users | 97.9% of population | 94.7% of population | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 81.2% | 80.2% | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Renewable share of energy | 3.6% | 10.9% | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Forest area | 64.1% of land | 33.9% of land | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |
| CO2 emissions per capita | 11.36 t/yr | 13.62 t/yr | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Corporate tax rate | — | 21% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (corporate column, headline statutory rate) (2024) |
| Top personal income tax | — | 51.78% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (Individual income / Highest column) (2024) |

"—" means the source publishes no value for that country; nothing is estimated. Vintages marked "varies" are the most recent value the source publishes per country.