EUR
…
KRW
…
Land Area
Italy
301,340 km²
Largest
South Korea
100,210 km²
33.3% of largest
Italy is 3.01× larger than South Korea
Population
Italy
LARGEST
58.92M
PEOPLE
South Korea
87.7% OF LARGEST
51.68M
PEOPLE
Italy has 1.14× the population of South Korea
GDP
Italy
LARGEST
$2.55T
South Korea
73.4% OF LARGEST
$1.87T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
South Korea
LARGEST
555K
TROOPS
Italy
30.6% OF LARGEST
170K
TROOPS
South Korea has 3.26× the active personnel of Italy
Air Force
South Korea
LARGEST
1.58K
AIRCRAFT
Italy
54.5% OF LARGEST
862
AIRCRAFT
South Korea has 1.83× the aircraft of Italy
Naval Assets
South Korea
Italy
Wealth
Gold Reserves
Italy
LARGEST
2,451.9
Metric Tonnes
South Korea
4.3% OF LARGEST
104.4
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
South Korea
LARGEST
$420B
Reserves · excl. gold
Italy
20.2% OF LARGEST
$85B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
Italy
MOST
73
billionaires
South Korea
41% OF MOST
30
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
Italy
LARGEST
0.5
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
Italy
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.1M b/d
Consumption
1.2M b/d
−1.1M 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)
Italy
$773.9B
Exports
$773.9B
Imports
$721.8B
Trade Balance
+$52.1B
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
Italy
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
South Korea
consumption
Italy
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
South Korea
consumption
Italy
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
Italy
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Italy
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
Italy
South Korea
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
Italy
283
Gold
255
Silver
300
Bronze
838
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 667
❄ Winter: 171
South Korea
145
Gold
134
Silver
130
Bronze
409
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 320
❄ Winter: 89
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Italy
South Korea
Age Demographics
Median Age
Italy
47.9
YEARS
10
30
50
70
South Korea
44.9
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
Italy is 3.0 years older (median) than South Korea
Youth Population
South Korea has the highest youth population at 30.0% (under 30)
Elderly Population
Italy has the highest elderly population at 31.5% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Italy
|
South Korea
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
189
|
193
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
57.2M
|
11.0M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
21
|
0
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
15
|
1
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
59
|
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.
|
Italy
|
South Korea
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $15 | $8 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $60 | $40 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $850 | $800 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $600 | $500 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $155 | $140 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $30 | $25 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $40 | $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
Italy
South Korea
Physicians per 1,000
Italy
South Korea
Hospital beds per 1,000
South Korea
Italy
Diabetes prevalence
South Korea
Italy
Obesity prevalence
Italy
South Korea
Suicide rate per 100k
South Korea
Italy
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for Italy vs South Korea — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | Italy | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 58915656 | 51684564 |
| Area (sq km) | 301340 | 100210 |
| Capital | Rome | Seoul |
| Official Language | Italian | Korean |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | South Korean Won (KRW) |
| Government Type | Unitary parliamentary republic | Unitary presidential constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | Italy | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 170,000 | 555,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 18,300 | 3,100,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 188,300 | 3,655,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $29,800,000,000 | $46,700,000,000 |
| Tanks | 200 | 2,321 |
| Armored Vehicles | 3,500 | 3,100 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 89 | 1,836 |
| Towed Artillery | 70 | 1,700 |
| Rocket Projectors | 21 | 600 |
Economy
| Metric | Italy | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $2,551,556,954,100 | $1,872,374,961,553 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $43,309 | $36,227 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 6.4% | 2.7% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 34.3 | 32.9 |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | South Korean Won (KRW) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
Italy is 3.0 times larger in area than South Korea.
Italy has 1.1 times more people than South Korea.
Italy has the highest GDP per capita at $43,309 among the selected countries.
Italy has the largest economy with a GDP of
$2.55 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.
Italy vs South Korea: Key Comparisons
Economy: Italy's GDP of $2.6T is 1.4x larger than South Korea's $1.9T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: Italy's population of 59M is 1.1x larger than South Korea's 52M.
Area: Italy covers 301,340 km², making it 3.0x larger than South Korea.
Military: South Korea fields 560Thousand active troops vs Italy's 170Thousand.
Trade: Italy runs a trade surplus of $52B while South Korea runs a trade surplus of $76B.
Life Expectancy: Italy leads with a life expectancy of 84 years vs South Korea's 84.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology