KRW
…
USD
…
Land Area
United States of America
9,833,517 km²
Largest
South Korea
100,210 km²
1.0% of largest
United States of America is 98.13× larger than South Korea
Population
United States of America
LARGEST
341.78M
PEOPLE
South Korea
15.1% OF LARGEST
51.68M
PEOPLE
United States of America has 6.61× the population of South Korea
GDP
United States of America
LARGEST
$30.77T
South Korea
6.1% OF LARGEST
$1.87T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
United States of America
LARGEST
1.35M
TROOPS
South Korea
41.2% OF LARGEST
555K
TROOPS
United States of America has 2.43× the active personnel of South Korea
Air Force
United States of America
LARGEST
13.3K
AIRCRAFT
South Korea
11.9% OF LARGEST
1.58K
AIRCRAFT
United States of America has 8.41× the aircraft of South Korea
Naval Assets
United States of America
South Korea
Wealth
Gold Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
8,133.5
Metric Tonnes
South Korea
1.3% OF LARGEST
104.4
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
South Korea
LARGEST
$420B
Reserves · excl. gold
United States of America
54.3% OF LARGEST
$228B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
United States of America
MOST
813
billionaires
South Korea
4% OF MOST
30
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
69
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
South Korea
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.0M b/d
Consumption
2.7M b/d
−2.7M b/d net
United States of America
NET EXPORTER
Production
20.0M b/d
Consumption
19.0M b/d
+1.0M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
South Korea
$831.9B
Exports
$831.9B
Imports
$755.5B
Trade Balance
+$76.4B
Trade Surplus
United States of America
$3,193.5B
Exports
$3,193.5B
Imports
$4,103.1B
Trade Balance
$-909.6B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
South Korea
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
South Korea
United States of America
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
United States of America
1,233
Gold
1,013
Silver
889
Bronze
3,135
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 2,772
❄ Winter: 363
South Korea
145
Gold
134
Silver
130
Bronze
409
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 320
❄ Winter: 89
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
South Korea
United States of America
Age Demographics
Median Age
South Korea
44.9
YEARS
10
30
50
70
United States of America
38.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
South Korea is 6.1 years older (median) than United States of America
Youth Population
United States of America has the highest youth population at 38.4% (under 30)
Elderly Population
South Korea has the highest elderly population at 25.3% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
South Korea
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
193
|
186
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
11.0M
|
66.5M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
0
|
411
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
1
|
16
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
17
|
26
|
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.
|
South Korea
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $8 | $20 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $40 | $80 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $800 | $1,950 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $500 | $1,500 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $140 | $175 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $25 | $68 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $45 | $85 |
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
USA
South Korea
Physicians per 1,000
USA
South Korea
Hospital beds per 1,000
South Korea
USA
Diabetes prevalence
USA
South Korea
Obesity prevalence
USA
South Korea
Suicide rate per 100k
South Korea
USA
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for South Korea vs USA — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | South Korea | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 51684564 | 341784857 |
| Area (sq km) | 100210 | 9833517 |
| Capital | Seoul | Washington, D.C. |
| Official Language | Korean | English (de facto) |
| Currency | South Korean Won (KRW) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Government Type | Unitary presidential constitutional republic | Federal presidential constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | South Korea | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 555,000 | 1,347,300 |
| Reserve Personnel | 3,100,000 | 799,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 3,655,000 | 2,146,800 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $46,700,000,000 | $816,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 2,321 | 6,612 |
| Armored Vehicles | 3,100 | 45,193 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 1,836 | 1,498 |
| Towed Artillery | 1,700 | 1,339 |
| Rocket Projectors | 600 | 1,366 |
Economy
| Metric | South Korea | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $1,872,374,961,553 | $30,769,700,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $36,227 | $90,027 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 2.7% | 4.2% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 32.9 | 41.8 |
| Currency | South Korean Won (KRW) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
United States of America is 98.1 times larger in area than South Korea.
That's a massive difference!
United States of America has 6.6 times more people than South Korea.
United States of America has the highest GDP per capita at $90,027 among the selected countries.
United States of America has the largest economy with a GDP of
$30.77 trillion.
United States of America has the largest active military personnel with 1,347,300 troops.
United States of America has the largest air force with 13,300 aircraft.
United States of America has the largest navy with 472 vessels.
USA Fact: The United States has more airports than any other country in the world, with over 13,000 airports.
South Korea vs United States of America: Key Comparisons
Economy: United States of America's GDP of $30.8T is 16.4x larger than South Korea's $1.9T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: United States of America's population of 342M is 6.6x larger than South Korea's 52M.
Area: United States of America covers 9,833,517 km², making it 98.1x larger than South Korea.
Military: United States of America fields 1.3Million active troops vs South Korea's 560Thousand.
Trade: South Korea runs a trade surplus of $76B while United States of America has a trade deficit of $910B.
Life Expectancy: South Korea leads with a life expectancy of 84 years vs United States of America's 79.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology