CAD
…
KRW
…
Land Area
Canada
9,984,670 km²
Largest
South Korea
100,210 km²
1.0% of largest
Canada is 99.64× larger than South Korea
Population
South Korea
LARGEST
51.68M
PEOPLE
Canada
80.6% OF LARGEST
41.65M
PEOPLE
South Korea has 1.24× the population of Canada
GDP
Canada
LARGEST
$2.32T
South Korea
80.7% OF LARGEST
$1.87T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
South Korea
LARGEST
555K
TROOPS
Canada
12.3% OF LARGEST
68K
TROOPS
South Korea has 8.16× the active personnel of Canada
Air Force
South Korea
LARGEST
1.58K
AIRCRAFT
Canada
29.3% OF LARGEST
464
AIRCRAFT
South Korea has 3.41× the aircraft of Canada
Naval Assets
South Korea
Canada
Wealth
Gold Reserves
South Korea
LARGEST
104.4
Metric Tonnes
Canada
0.0% OF LARGEST
0.0
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
South Korea
LARGEST
$420B
Reserves · excl. gold
Canada
28.6% OF LARGEST
$120B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
Canada
MOST
67
billionaires
South Korea
45% OF MOST
30
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
Canada
LARGEST
170
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
Canada
NET EXPORTER
Production
5.7M b/d
Consumption
2.4M b/d
+3.3M 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)
Canada
$727.9B
Exports
$727.9B
Imports
$733.8B
Trade Balance
$-5.9B
Trade Deficit
South Korea
$831.9B
Exports
$831.9B
Imports
$755.5B
Trade Balance
+$76.4B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Canada
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
Canada
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
Canada
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
Canada
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Canada
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
South Korea
Canada
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
Canada
161
Gold
197
Silver
241
Bronze
599
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 353
❄ Winter: 246
South Korea
145
Gold
134
Silver
130
Bronze
409
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 320
❄ Winter: 89
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Canada
South Korea
Age Demographics
Median Age
South Korea
44.9
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Canada
41.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
South Korea is 3.1 years older (median) than Canada
Youth Population
Canada has the highest youth population at 33.1% (under 30)
Elderly Population
Canada has the highest elderly population at 26.6% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Canada
|
South Korea
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
188
|
193
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
18.3M
|
11.0M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
28
|
0
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
0
|
1
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
22
|
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.
|
Canada
|
South Korea
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $16 | $8 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $70 | $40 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $1,400 | $800 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $1,100 | $500 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $150 | $140 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $55 | $25 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $75 | $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
Canada
South Korea
Physicians per 1,000
Canada
South Korea
Hospital beds per 1,000
South Korea
Canada
Diabetes prevalence
South Korea
Canada
Obesity prevalence
Canada
South Korea
Suicide rate per 100k
South Korea
Canada
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for Canada vs South Korea — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | Canada | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 41651653 | 51684564 |
| Area (sq km) | 9984670 | 100210 |
| Capital | Ottawa | Seoul |
| Official Language | English and French | Korean |
| Currency | Canadian Dollar (CAD) | South Korean Won (KRW) |
| Government Type | Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Unitary presidential constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | Canada | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 68,000 | 555,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 30,000 | 3,100,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 100,000 | 3,655,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $26,500,000,000 | $46,700,000,000 |
| Tanks | 82 | 2,321 |
| Armored Vehicles | 1,788 | 3,100 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 89 | 1,836 |
| Towed Artillery | 37 | 1,700 |
| Rocket Projectors | 0 | 600 |
Economy
| Metric | Canada | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $2,319,899,772,426 | $1,872,374,961,553 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $55,698 | $36,227 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 6.9% | 2.7% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 31.5 | 32.9 |
| Currency | Canadian Dollar (CAD) | South Korean Won (KRW) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
Canada is 99.6 times larger in area than South Korea.
That's a massive difference!
South Korea has 1.2 times more people than Canada.
Canada has the highest GDP per capita at $55,698 among the selected countries.
Canada has the largest economy with a GDP of
$2.32 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.
Canada vs South Korea: Key Comparisons
Economy: Canada's GDP of $2.3T is 1.2x larger than South Korea's $1.9T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: South Korea's population of 52M is 1.2x larger than Canada's 42M.
Area: Canada covers 9,984,670 km², making it 99.6x larger than South Korea.
Military: South Korea fields 560Thousand active troops vs Canada's 68Thousand.
Trade: Canada has a trade deficit of $6B while South Korea runs a trade surplus of $76B.
Life Expectancy: South Korea leads with a life expectancy of 84 years vs Canada's 82.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology