AUD
…
KRW
…
Land Area
Australia
7,692,024 km²
Largest
South Korea
100,210 km²
1.3% of largest
Australia is 76.76× larger than South Korea
Population
South Korea
LARGEST
51.68M
PEOPLE
Australia
53.4% OF LARGEST
27.61M
PEOPLE
South Korea has 1.87× the population of Australia
GDP
South Korea
LARGEST
$1.87T
Australia
96.1% OF LARGEST
$1.8T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
South Korea
LARGEST
555K
TROOPS
Australia
10.6% OF LARGEST
59K
TROOPS
South Korea has 9.41× the active personnel of Australia
Air Force
South Korea
LARGEST
1.58K
AIRCRAFT
Australia
29.4% OF LARGEST
465
AIRCRAFT
South Korea has 3.40× the aircraft of Australia
Naval Assets
South Korea
Australia
Wealth
Gold Reserves
South Korea
LARGEST
104.4
Metric Tonnes
Australia
67.9% OF LARGEST
70.9
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
South Korea
LARGEST
$420B
Reserves · excl. gold
Australia
12.9% OF LARGEST
$54B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
Australia
MOST
47
billionaires
South Korea
64% OF MOST
30
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
Australia
LARGEST
2.4
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
Australia
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.3M b/d
Consumption
1.1M b/d
−0.7M b/d net
South Korea
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.0M b/d
Consumption
2.7M b/d
−2.7M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
Australia
$432.6B
Exports
$432.6B
Imports
$395.8B
Trade Balance
+$36.9B
Trade Surplus
South Korea
$831.9B
Exports
$831.9B
Imports
$755.5B
Trade Balance
+$76.4B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Australia
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
Australia
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
Australia
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
Australia
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Australia
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
South Korea
Australia
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
Australia
189
Gold
201
Silver
233
Bronze
623
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 598
❄ Winter: 25
South Korea
145
Gold
134
Silver
130
Bronze
409
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 320
❄ Winter: 89
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Australia
South Korea
Age Demographics
Median Age
South Korea
44.9
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Australia
37.5
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
South Korea is 7.4 years older (median) than Australia
Youth Population
Australia has the highest youth population at 38% (under 30)
Elderly Population
South Korea has the highest elderly population at 25.3% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Australia
|
South Korea
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
189
|
193
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
9.3M
|
11.0M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
13
|
0
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
0
|
1
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
21
|
17
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
Australia
|
South Korea
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $18 | $8 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $80 | $40 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $1,600 | $800 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $1,200 | $500 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $160 | $140 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $60 | $25 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $100 | $45 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
Australia
South Korea
Physicians per 1,000
Australia
South Korea
Hospital beds per 1,000
South Korea
Australia
Diabetes prevalence
South Korea
Australia
Obesity prevalence
Australia
South Korea
Suicide rate per 100k
South Korea
Australia
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for Australia vs South Korea — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | Australia | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 27614411 | 51684564 |
| Area (sq km) | 7692024 | 100210 |
| Capital | Canberra | Seoul |
| Official Language | English | Korean |
| Currency | Australian Dollar (AUD) | South Korean Won (KRW) |
| Government Type | Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Unitary presidential constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | Australia | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 59,000 | 555,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 28,850 | 3,100,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 88,450 | 3,655,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $31,800,000,000 | $46,700,000,000 |
| Tanks | 59 | 2,321 |
| Armored Vehicles | 1,426 | 3,100 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 54 | 1,836 |
| Towed Artillery | 75 | 1,700 |
| Rocket Projectors | 6 | 600 |
Economy
| Metric | Australia | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $1,798,518,933,689 | $1,872,374,961,553 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $65,130 | $36,227 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.1% | 2.7% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 33.8 | 32.9 |
| Currency | Australian Dollar (AUD) | South Korean Won (KRW) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
Australia is 76.8 times larger in area than South Korea.
That's a massive difference!
South Korea has 1.9 times more people than Australia.
Australia has the highest GDP per capita at $65,130 among the selected countries.
South Korea has the largest economy with a GDP of
$1.87 trillion.
South Korea has the largest active military personnel with 555,000 troops.
South Korea has the largest air force with 1,581 aircraft.
South Korea has the largest navy with 234 vessels.
Australia vs South Korea: Key Comparisons
Economy: South Korea's GDP of $1.9T is 1.0x larger than Australia's $1.8T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: South Korea's population of 52M is 1.9x larger than Australia's 28M.
Area: Australia covers 7,692,024 km², making it 76.8x larger than South Korea.
Military: South Korea fields 560Thousand active troops vs Australia's 59Thousand.
Trade: Australia runs a trade surplus of $37B while South Korea runs a trade surplus of $76B.
Life Expectancy: South Korea leads with a life expectancy of 84 years vs Australia's 83.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology