Inequality in life expectancy in South Korea
South Korea: Inequality in life expectancy was 0.0246 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Inequality in life expectancy in South Korea, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for inequality in life expectancy in South Korea is 0.0246, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is down 10.8% on the previous year and down 24.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in life expectancy in South Korea peaked at 0.0358 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.0246, in 2023.
That places South Korea 191st out of 195 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.0312 | 0.0273 | 0.0358 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0274 | 0.0246 | 0.0295 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More health data for South Korea
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,072 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 69 deaths (2100)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 343,093 (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 314,477 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 328,684 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 299,106 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 295,765 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 267,725 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is inequality in life expectancy in South Korea?
- Inequality in life expectancy in South Korea was 0.0246 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality in life expectancy recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0358 in 2010.
- What is the lowest inequality in life expectancy recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0246 in 2023.
- How does South Korea rank for inequality in life expectancy?
- South Korea ranks 191st out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in life expectancy rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.