Iceland vs South Korea
Iceland and South Korea are almost exactly the same size.
IcelandSouth KoreaIceland moved onto South Korea · Equal-area projection
1.03×
Iceland is 1.03× the area of South Korea.
 Iceland |  South Korea | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 103,004 km²#106 of 194 | 100,295 km²#107 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 1 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSouth Korea: 132× the population | 392,404#172 of 194 · 2025 | 51,684,564#29 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySouth Korea: 135× the density | 3.8 / km²#191 of 194 | 515 / km²#16 of 194 |
| Urban populationIceland: 1.16× the urban share | 94%#12 of 192 · 2025 | 81%#39 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateIceland: 2.08× the births per woman | 1.56 per woman#127 of 192 · 2024 | 0.75 per woman#192 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIceland: 1.64 points higher | +1.51%#68 of 192 · 2025 | −0.13%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateIceland: 2.38× the birth rate | 11.2 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2024 | 4.7 per 1,000#191 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 6.8 per 1,000#112 of 192 · 2024 | 7.0 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Iceland: 7.3 points higher | 17.5%#135 of 192 · 2025 | 10.2%#192 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65South Korea: 4.3 points higher | 16.0%#51 of 192 · 2025 | 20.3%#30 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIceland: 5.6 per 1,000 higher | +6.9 per 1,000#13 of 192 · 2025 | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySouth Korea: 0.8 years longer | 82.8 years#21 of 192 · 2024 | 83.6 years#11 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySouth Korea: 1.1× the infant mortality | 2.1 per 1,000 births#180 of 191 · 2024 | 2.3 per 1,000 births#175 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsIceland: 1.67× the doctors per person | 4.37 per 1,000#21 of 178 · 2023 | 2.61 per 1,000#71 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentSouth Korea: 1.46× the university enrolment | 76.5%#35 of 145 · 2023 | 111.9%#3 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexIceland: 0.035 higher | 0.972#1 of 190 · 2023 | 0.937#19 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIceland: 2.36× the income per person | $89,220#4 of 185 · 2025 | $37,880#29 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSouth Korea: 48.5× the economy | $38.58B2025 | $1.87T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Iceland: 1.32× the output per person | $83,431#11 of 184 · 2025 | $63,125#29 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthIceland: 0.3 points higher | +1.3%#148 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationIceland: 2.0 points higher | +4.1%#52 of 176 · 2025 | +2.1%#116 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentIceland: 1.33× the unemployment | 3.6%#119 of 178 · 2025 | 2.7%#149 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyAbout the same share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2019 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)South Korea: 6.1 higher | 26.8#136 of 149 · 2019 | 32.9#95 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureSouth Korea: 1.5 points higher | 3.6% of jobs#141 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industrySouth Korea: 5.2 points higher | 18.2% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 | 23.4% of jobs#51 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesIceland: 6.6 points higher | 78.1% of jobs#22 of 178 · 2025 | 71.5% of jobs#46 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSouth Korea: 3.0 points higher | -2.2% of GDP#176 of 184 · 2025 | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSouth Korea: 5.7 points higher | 40.1% of GDP#71 of 168 · 2025 | 45.8% of GDP#54 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 0.0% of GDP#153 of 155 · 2025 | 2.6% of GDP#38 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 98%#10 of 184 · 2024 | 98%#13 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSouth Korea: 1.43× the mobile subscriptions | 121 per 100#78 of 191 · 2024 | 173 per 100#13 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSouth Korea: 107× the forest share | 1% of land#184 of 192 · 2024 | 64% of land#19 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personSouth Korea: 1.33× the CO₂ per person | 8.52 t a year#22 of 185 · 2024 | 11.4 t a year#15 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyIceland: 78.8 points higher | 82.4%#13 of 190 · 2021 | 3.6%#161 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)South Korea: 4.47× the air pollution | 4.9 µg/m³#183 of 191 · 2023 | 21.9 µg/m³#71 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landIceland: 3.2 points higher | 20.9% of land#80 of 191 · 2025 | 17.7% of land#95 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSouth Korea: 12.1 points higher | 1.2% of land#170 of 190 · 2024 | 13.3% of land#78 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSouth Korea: 213× the water stress | 0.4%#167 of 176 · 2022 | 85.2%#21 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationIceland: 1.52× the rain and snow | 1,940 mm#36 of 180 · 2022 | 1,274 mm#71 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIceland: 0.40 higher | +1.32#10 of 193 · 2025 | +0.92#42 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIceland: 0.90 higher | +1.82#11 of 193 · 2025 | +0.92#36 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateIceland: 2.6× the homicide rate | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2023 | 0.5 per 100,000#137 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicunitary parliamentary republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | NATO, Schengen Area, OECD | OECD, G20 |
| Capital | Reykjavik | Seoul |
| Currency | Icelandic króna (ISK) | South Korean won (KRW) |
| Official languages | Icelandic | Korean, Korean Sign Language |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+9 |
| Calling code | +354 | +82 |
| Region | Northern Europe, Europe | Eastern Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Iceland sits at about 65° N and is stretched to 5.6× its true area; South Korea at 36° N is stretched to 1.54×. That difference is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it is next to South Korea. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Iceland bigger than South Korea?
- Yes. Iceland and South Korea are almost exactly the same size. Iceland covers 103,004 km² and South Korea covers 100,295 km².
- How many times does South Korea fit into Iceland?
- About 1.0 times: Iceland has 1.03× the area of South Korea.
- Why do Iceland and South Korea look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Iceland is drawn about 5.6× its true area there and South Korea about 1.54×. That is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it really is next to South Korea. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Iceland or South Korea?
- South Korea: 51,684,564 people against 392,404. Density: Iceland 3.8 per km², South Korea 515 per km².
- Which is richer, Iceland or South Korea?
- By gross national income per person, Iceland: $89,220 against $37,880 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.36× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Iceland or South Korea?
- In South Korea: life expectancy at birth is 83.6 years, against 82.8 — 0.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Iceland and South Korea have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Iceland: parliamentary republic; South Korea: presidential republic.